Come Back to Me (Part 2)
by mor17gan
Summary: It's been over a year since Zoe's abduction and things were going well. However, as things do in Wade and Zoe's world, it would be short lived.
1. Chapter 1

It had been over a year since Zoe's abduction and also Lucas' birth. Things were pretty much back to normal, at least as much as they are when it comes to Zoe and Wade. They did a lot of work on the house, adding extra bedrooms, closets and expanded the rooms that were already there. They spared no expense when it came to the master bedroom however. There was deck off of the sliding glass doors, two walk-in closets and even a hot tub on the deck. Of course Wade and Zoe spent a lot of time out there when they finally got Lucas down for the night. He was like his father and was a night owl for sure. But, even night owls wear out after a while. He was their pride and joy however. He was the spitting image of Wade, right down to his hazel eyes, always messy blond hair, and the killer smile. He loved his mom and always wanted to be with her except when his father was around. Then he went into 'little boy' mode and the two of them raised hell all the time, driving Zoe nuts sometimes. Wade is such a big kid but that's one of the reasons she's still madly in love with him.

Zoe's father has passed away a few months previously and she was really surprised when she found out she was the sole heir of his estate. She was now a very wealthy woman, but they didn't let that change the way they were. Wade still owned the bar and continued to work a lot of hours, but it was his and they didn't want to downplay that. Zoe only worked occasionally when Brick needed her, preferring to spend her time at home with Lucas. They just left the money in the bank for the time being, planning to only use it in case of dire emergencies.

Zoe sat drinking her coffee and reflecting on everything that her life has become while Lucas played out in the yard with his trucks. She decided to take a walk into town and said to Lucas "Hey Lucas, do you want to go to the Jammer and see daddy?" Lucas jumped up and started yelling "Da! Da! Da!" "I take that as a yes", she said laughing. "We'll just stop over to Uncle Lavon's to let him know where we're headed. Maybe him and Aunt Lemon would like to come with us".

Zoe got Lucas all cleaned up and dressed in his plaid shirt (he just had to be like his father), shorts and work boots. They walked over to Lavon's and as the Kinsellas always do, barged right in. "Hey Lavon!" she yelled. Lemon came walking into the room instead. "Hey, Zoe. Lavon isn't here at the moment but should be back in a bit. Anything I can do for you?" she asked. Lucas went running up to her and grabbed the bottom of her dress "Emon! He yelled in typical Lucas fashion. "Hey little man", she smiled at him and picked him up. He planted a big kiss on her cheek which brought a huge smile to her face. "He is just so gorgeous" she said. "I can't wait until I have one!". "Soon enough", said Zoe, pointing to her slightly protruding belly. They both smiled knowing how happy that made Lavon and Lemon. "We're heading into town", said Zoe. "Do you feel up to taking a walk with us?" she said. "Sure" said Lemon, "let me grab my purse".

They got to the Jammer and walked in just as four women were really starting to come on strong with Wade. "C'mon Wade, you know you want to party instead of working. You were always the one to really party it up." The other girls nodded in agreement. He kept telling them "No, I own the bar now and I have a family. Those days are long gone". The girls didn't believe him and kept it up. One even went so far as to lean over the bar and try to kiss him! Wade just back up a bit to avoid it without trying to cause any hard feelings. With that, Zoe walked into the bar with Lucas and Lemon. "Da! Da! Da!" and Lucas was off like a shot towards his father. Wade heard the voice and saw his son making a beeline towards him. He came from around the bar and bent down just as Lucas got there and ran right into his arms, almost knocking him over. "What's the big rush, buddy?", he asked. Lucas just planted a big kiss on Wade's cheek and gave him a huge hug. "Missed you", he said. Wade smiled and said "I missed you too, Luke. I'm glad you came to visit me". He picked up Lucas and walked over to Zoe and planted a toe-tingling kiss on her hips. "Hey, baby". She said "I see your fan base just doesn't seem to die out" and smiled at him. "Nah", he said, "but I can handle it. I just let them all down gently", and walked away laughing. He got back to the bar and the women just glared at him and left in a huff. Wade just laughed. "I tried to tell them", he said.

Lemon said to Zoe, "I don't know how you deal with that. I would be livid!" Zoe just said "I'm so used to it. He does handle it well though and I know he would never cheat on me again". They sat and had lunch and while they were eating, Lavon came in. He walked over to their table and gave Lemon a kiss and said "Hey big Z". "What brings you girls in town today", he asked them. Lemon just said "Well, Zoe was getting restless, Lucas wanted to see his daddy, and I needed the exercise!". He just laughed. "You look beautiful just as you are", he said.

As they were eating lunch, the weather suddenly turned and there was thunder in the distance. Wade walked over to Lavon and said "why don't you bring the girls and Lucas home. I heard there was a huge storm possibly going to hit later on, possibly even turning into a hurricane. Lavon said "Yeah, I heard that on my way over here. I'll drop Zoe at home to pick up anything that you guys might need just in case of a power outage. The three of you can stay at the house until this is over with. We have the storm cellar if it gets really bad. Unfortunately the weatherpeople don't know much at this point about whats going to hit. Zoe still wasn't used to how fast the weather changed in the south. It could go from a beautiful sunny to a horrific storm within ½ hour. The sun was still shining, but Lavon said "OK ladies, let's head home before the weather gets bad". Zoe walked up to the bar and hugged Wade. "Please don't wait too long before you come home. If it's going to get really bad, I would rather have you at home with us". Wade kissed her "Don't worry. I'll send everyone home shortly and start to board up the windows before I head out. I shouldn't be too long. I want to call Jesse and see if he can go over to the house and board up the windows there. I checked with Lavon and he's going to go and get Earl and bring him over also. He's alone in that old rickety house and I don't want anything to happen to him.". "Good idea", said Zoe. Lucas would love to spend time with him anyway". Wade kissed her again and then hugged and kissed Lucas. "You take care of your momma!" he said. Then they all left to head home and then to Lavon's, leaving Wade to get the Rammer Jammer ready for the storm.


	2. the Storm

Lavon pulled up to Earl's house and they all got out to go and find him. They could hear sounds coming from the workshop out back, so they trudged back there. Lucas saw him first and yelled "Poppy!" and Earl looked up and smiled. He got up and walked over to the rest of them and said "to what do I owe this pleasure?" Lemon looked at him and said "Earl, didn't you hear that there is a huge storm brewing?" He just looked at her and said "No, haven't read the newspaper or listened to the radio or anything in a few days. Been busy out here making a table for Shulah". Earl had a side business going making odds and ends for whoever asked. Zoe looked at him and said "Dad, please, go and round up anything that you might need for a few days just in case this storm turns into something really bad. Wade wanted us to come and get you so you could stay at Lavon's with us". Earl just looked around and was very hesitant to leave, but he saw how worried Zoe looked so he caved. OK, give me a minute and we can be on our way. He gathered up some clean clothes and a few other articles and said "OK, let's hit the road. Weather is still nice, but you can never tell around here". Zoe and Lucas just hugged him. "thanks for not putting up a fuss", said Zoe. "You know I'd do anything for you, honey. You're the daughter I never had". They all went back out to the SUV and off they went. When they pulled up to Zoe and Wade's she said "Lemon, could you take Lucas with you so that I can get some stuff together without him running around? Jesse should be at the house fixing the windows, so he can help me bring the stuff over. "I would be more than happy to", said Lemon. We'll get him settled in and put a movie on for him".

"Thanks" said Zoe. She kissed Lucas and said "You be a good boy for Aunt Lemon and Uncle Lavon. Mommy has to get some stuff and then I'll be over. We're going to spend the night at their house!. Lucas clapped "Yay!" he said. "Let's go!".

Zoe walked in the house and saw Jesse boarding up the final windows. "Hey, Jesse", she said. "Hey pretty doc. What's up?" "I'm just going to pack up some stuff to take to Lavon's. We're going to stay there until the storm decides what it's going to do. They have a storm cellar just in case. Could you help me get the stuff in the car. Lucas' toys get to be a little much if you're carting them around, but I can't see him sitting for days without them!".

"No problem", said Jesse. "I'll do that and then head over to AB's". AB and Jesse starting dating a few months back and they've become pretty inseparable. Zoe was happy about that since she loved both of them to death. "Thanks", said Zoe. "We also stopped and picked up Earl on the way so he could be with us. I didn't want to leave him out there all alone". "Good move" said Jesse. Now I don't have to worry about him. But, what about my brother? He said he was going to stay and prepare the Jammer for the storm. I hope he uses his head and gets out of there early enough to make it home". "Me too", said Zoe sadly. But I know Wade and he won't leave until the absolute last minute".

Jesse finished the windows and helped Zoe gather the rest of the stuff she would need. They both walked out to the car and headed over to Lavon's house. When they got there, Lavon came out and the three of them carried in the stuff that the Kinsella's would need for their stay at the mayor's mansion. The sky was starting to get dark by the time they were done. Jesse said "I think I better head out to make sure that I make it to AB's before it hits. She will be in a total panic if I don't get there soon". "OK" said Zoe. "thanks for all your help". She gave him a kiss and off he went. Zoe went into the house and Lucas ran up to her "Daddy?" he asked. She just looked at him and said "Daddy should be here soon buddy. He had to some work to do first". Lucas seemed to accept that and went back to his movie. Zoe looked at Lavon and Lemon "I'm really starting to get concerned. I know how Wade is and he won't be watching to see the weather changing. I hope he leaves himself time to get here". She was on the verge of tears and Lemon embraced her and said "try not to worry about him too much. Wade is a survivor, always has been, always will be. He knows his limitations". Zoe just looked at her with those big sad eyes.

Back at the Rammer Jammer, Wade finally got rid of the last stragglers and was trying to get the windows all boarded up. He was on the last one when the rain started. "thankfully it's not raining too hard yet", he thought. "Hopefully just a few more minutes and I'll be out of here". With that, the rain started pelting down and the wind picked up speed. Wade looked out the door and said "This is NOT good. I should have left much earlier. As it is now, I'm going to have a LONG ride back in this mess". The thunder and lightning picked up speed and it was very loud outside. The rain was pelting the Jammer and it was hard to hear. Wade thought he better call Zoe and let her know that he would be on the way so he picked up the phone and dialed. Zoe picked up "Wade, where are you! The weather is really bad!" He just said "I'm sorry baby, it took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I'm done now and should be heading out in a minute". "Please be careful babe. I'm so scared right now". He told her not to worry, he would drive carefully.

"I love you, cowboy", she said.

"I love you too, my beautiful wife". With that they hung up.


	3. The Storm Rages on

After they hung up Zoe looked up at Lemon and Lavon "I don't think he's going to make it home. I'm hoping that once he sees the weather he's not going to try it and just finds someplace safe to hide out there". Zoe started to cry because there was nothing else that she could do. Lucas came over and put his arms around her "no cry, mommy." She just hugged him and silently prayed for her husband's safety. She didn't know how she would ever survive if something ever happened to Wade. He was her life's blood and her entire being. There was no Zoe if there was no Wade. Lavon knew what she was going through. He had been with the two of them since they first met, through all their ups and downs, fights and makeups and finally the realization that they loved each other. They were his best friends and even though he would do anything for them, there was nothing that he could do at this point except to try and comfort Zoe. He was also hoping that Wade wouldn't try and drive home. The storm picked up even more velocity and he doubted that Wade would even be able to see the road. "C'mon big Z, let's go into the family room and watch a movie or something. Lemon said that she would start dinner under the hopes of getting it done before (or if) they lost power. They went into the other room and Zoe sat down and pulled Lucas onto her lap. Kids always know when their parents are upset and Lucas was no exception. He just let his mother snuggle into him.

Meanwhile, Wade hung up the phone and was about to head out the door when he heard a loud crash. It felt like the entire building shook. He quickly looked up to see what all the noise was about and saw that a tree had crashed through the roof. Unfortunately, what he didn't see what a beam that got knocked loose and it came down, falling right on top of him and pinning him on the ground. Wade tried to move, but the beam was way to heavy for him. When he fell, his phone also went flying so he had no way to contact Zoe or anyone else. "Well this is just friggin' great", he thought. He kept trying and trying to move it, but it wouldn't budge. As he was laying there he started thinking about his family and how far they've come in such a relatively short period of time. Life was good, they were married, had Lucas, who he totally adored, had money in the bank and had so much to look forward to AND to top things off, here he was stuck under a damn tree! All of a sudden he heard a loud rumbling then before he know it, a large part of the ceiling came down right on top of him. Wade struggled for a bit, then total darkness.

While they were eating dinner, Zoe suddenly got a strange look on her face. "What's up, Z?" asked Lavon. She just looked at him and said "I know something's happened to Wade, I can feel it". "Well that's just crazy", said Lavon. Lemon looked at him and said "She may have something there. I read where when two people are so in tune with each other, and you have to admit that nobody is in tune with each other like those two, that they often know when something happens to the other. Kind of an ESP thing or something?" He just looked at her like she was nuts. But Zoe looked as if she was going to go into shock. Lemon jumped up, "Zoe, snap out of it! You have Lucas here to worry about". Zoe finally responded and got up to go and sit with Lucas. The storm was continually getting worse and Lavon feared that they would have to go into the storm cellar if it didn't let up soon. He didn't think it was hurricane strength, but pretty close to it. The electricity was flickering on and off, but thankfully it was still going. He didn't think Zoe would handle it being in the dark under those circumstances without Wade.

As the night progressed and the storm still raged, there was no word from Wade. Zoe knew deep in her heart that he was in trouble, but there was no way that she could even get to him. The phone lines were down and she didn't even have anyone that she could call to check on him. "this is going to be a long night", she thought. She knew that there was no way that she would be able to sleep until she knew what happened to him.

Earl was sitting there keeping an eye on his daughter-in-law and finally got up to sit with her. "Zoe, I know how worried you are, I am too. You have to realize that my son is an extremely strong willed guy and in great shape. Even if something has happened to him, you know he'll fight with everything he has to get back to you. After he let you down once, he vowed that he would never do it again and you have to believe that. Once the storm breaks, we'll head out to see what happened. Don't forget, I love him as much as you do". She just cried on Earl's shoulder and he let her get it all out of her system.

As the night wore on, Lucas finally crashed and Zoe put him in his travel bed. She was glad that he finally fell asleep. He kept calling for his daddy which was breaking Zoe's heart. He was so young that he couldn't understand what was going on other than the fact that his father wasn't there. Earl went to bed in one of the guest rooms and Lemon also went to lay down for a while. Zoe went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and Lavon came in to sit with her. "Want some tea?" Zoe asked. "Sure", said Lavon. They sat in silence for a while and then Zoe spoke up "Lavon, what do you think happened?" He just looked at her "I don't really know. Hopefully he just couldn't get out because he waited too long. The phone lines are down, so he can't call. I don't think Wade would have attempted to drive his truck in the storm so he's probably just laying low in the Jammer until he can get out". "I hope you're right", said Zoe. "But it still doesn't feel right to me". They just sat in silence and listed to the raging weather outside.


	4. The Aftermath

Lavon awoke the next morning with a stiff neck and sore back. He fell asleep on one of the couches while keeping Zoe company. He got up to make coffee and saw Zoe sound asleep on the other couch clutching one of Wade's flannel shirts in her hands. Lavon knew this was a big habit of hers when he wasn't around. She needed his scent in order to sleep sometimes so she often grabbed one of his shirts.

He didn't hear any noise outside, so he ventured out onto the porch and saw that the rain has let up and was only a slight drizzle now. Thankfully the storm has passed and the house was still standing. There were many trees in the yard that toppled over, but it didn't look like much damage. He came back inside and saw that Lucas was standing up in the travel bed. "Von!" he waved. Lavon knew he wanted to get out, so he went over and lifted him up and brought him into the kitchen with him so as not to wake Zoe. "Daddy home", asked Lucas. Lavon just looked at him and said "Not yet, but we'll go and look for him in a little while". That seemed to answer his question for the time being, so Lavon set him in the high chair and proceeded to make the coffee. He then got Lucas a bowl of cereal and sat down while Lucas made a mess of it. After a while Zoe wandered into the kitchen. "Have you checked the weather, Lavon?" she asked. "I did", he said "It blew over and it's only drizzling out now. Once we're done here, we can take a ride and see how the Rammer Jammer made out". He was hesitant to bring up Wade's name, but Zoe did anyway. "You mean to see if Wade is OK, don't you? You don't have to pussyfoot around me Lavon, I know the situation" she said sadly. "Big Z, you look like hell. How much sleep did you get last night?" he asked. "Not much", she said. "I only fell asleep a little while ago.".

Lemon and Earl both picked that time to come into the kitchen. Lemon just looked at her and said "Zoe, are you doing ok? I know you were really worried last night". "I still am", said Zoe. "I need to know that he's OK". Earl came over and put his arm around her. "Keep thinking positive. Things have a way of working out where my boy is concerned". He walked over to Lucas and lifted him out of the chair even though he was covered in cereral. "Hi Poppy" said Lucas when he came over. "Hug?" And his Poppy gave him a big hug. "He is so like his father" said Earl with tears in his eyes.

They ate breakfast in silence, each one wrapped up in their own thoughts about what today was going to bring. When they were done and the dishes cleared, Zoe said "Lemon, could you watch Lucas while we go out and see what we can find out?" She was hesitant to mention Wade's name in front of Lucas because she didn't want him to start crying for his father. "Of course. I'd be happy to", she said. "You do what you have to do and don't worry about us at all". "Thanks, Lemon. You're a great friend". Zoe said.

Lavon, Earl and Zoe got up and just looked at each other. "Let's get going", said Lavon. I want to check your house quickly to see if it's still standing". They all got into the SUV and headed out. It was amazing to see how many trees were down since the storm wasn't even a hurricane. The winds must have been pretty close though in order to cause this much damage. They arrived at the Kinsella' s house and thankfully the only damage was that they lost a few shingles and roofing tiles. The yard was a mess and everything that was in it was now scattered all over the place, but compared to the damage that could have happened, this was minor. They got back in the vehicle and off they went to the Rammer Jammer.

When they got there, Zoe could barely breathe. There was a huge tree that fell and put a hole in the roof of the building. It was just laying there on top. It was a dangerous situation, but they had no choice but to try and get in. They noticed that all the windows were boarded up, but they didn't hear any noise. Zoe ran to the door and yanked it open "Wade! Are you in here?" she yelled. All of a sudden she stopped short and let out a scream "Wade!". She saw him lying on the floor with a beam across him and debris piled all over him. She yelled back to Lavon "See if the phones are back on yet. They were working on them earlier. Call 911 and also get Brick over here". Lavon made the calls and Brick said that he would be right there. Zoe ran over to Wade and got down on her knees next to him "Baby, can you hear me? We're here now, you're going to be OK. We'll get you out of this mess. Please just answer me". She kept trying, but Wade just lay there without moving. She removed a lot of the debris, but was unable to move the beam that fell on him. She checked out what she could and saw that his arm was at a strange angle, and definitely looked like it was broken. Lavon and Earl came over to see if they could help with the beam. "We need to get a few more people in here to help move it", she said. Earl immediately left and went to the closest people that he could find to ask them to help out. Since everybody loved Wade, it wasn't hard to round up a few burly guys. Once they all got there, Lavon supervised and as they all gathered around Wade, Lavon said "OK guys, on the count of three we all lift this beam and put it down to the right of Wade. I don't want to risk moving him if I don't have to because I don't know what kind of injuries he might have.". Brick walked in at that moment and ran over to Zoe "How is he?" Brick asked. "I don't know all the injuries yet" said Zoe, fighting back tears. "Once they remove the beam we'll be able to tell more. 911 should be here shortly also". Zoe, Earl and Brick backed up while the volunteers and Lavon got prepared to lift the beam. Lavon said "On the count of three, lift and then slowly bring it back down once we've cleared Wade's body" "Everybody ready?" he asked. After everyone acknowledged, he said "OK. One…. Two…. Three! Lift!" The guys did as Lavon directed and hoisted up the beam and gently laid it down next to Wade. They all quickly moved out of the way as Zoe and Brick ran over to him. "Baby, please, can you hear me?" she cried. Still no response. Brick said "Zoe, it looks like he got hit in the head with something as there's quite a bit of dried blood in his hair". She looked through his hair until she found the gash that caused the blood. "It looks like it's stopped for the most part, but it's still seeping a little bit". The also examined the rest of his body and he did indeed have a broken arm. They couldn't tell if his ribs were broke or not but would know more once they got him to the hospital. His legs seemed to be OK also. Zoe just sat there in the water, cradling Wade until the emergency crews got there. They gently lifted Wade onto the gurney and put him in the ambulance. Zoe told them that she was a doctor and also his wife and that she was going with them. They allowed it seeing how she was not going to take no for an answer and immediately sped off to the hospital. Lavon thanked everyone for their help and then Lavon, Earl and Brick sped off to the hospital.

When they got there, Zoe was pacing, tears running down her face. Brick said "Have they said anything yet?" he asked. "I'll go and try and find out what's going on if they haven't updated you yet." Zoe just looked at him sadly. "They said that he has a broken arm, three broken ribs, and a ton of bruises. They put stitches in his head to close the cut but" and then Zoe just about collapsed. Lavon ran over to her and helped her stand. "Zoe, what is it?" he asked in a shaky voice. Earl came over and took her hand. Zoe just said with a blank stare "He's in a coma".


	5. At the hospital

Zoe, Lavon, Earl and Brick were sitting in the waiting room waiting for more news about Wade. The doctor finally appeared, but didn't have much to report. "He seems fine" the doctor said. "All the scans came back positive. We just need to wait until he wakes up. Hopefully it won't be much longer, but it could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days".

Zoe just looked at the doctor and nodded. Both she and Brick had heard this many times before, however they weren't used to being at the receiving end of the news. Neither one of them was happy, but there really was nothing that the doctor could do. Zoe just said "I have no intention of leaving until he wakes up. With that she went to his room and pulled up a chair. Lavon, Brick and Earl all decided to let her be for a while and they headed out to see what all needed to be down with the town and with the Rammer Jammer. They knew that there would be no persuading her to leave to get some rest. Lavon called Lemon to give her the news and Lemon just said "Tell Zoe I'm thinking about them and to not worry about Lucas. I'll keep him with me as long as she needs to be there". Lavon just said "That's the reason I love you like I do. If he gets to be too much for you, just call Rose. I'm sure she'll be happy to come and help you out". Lavon hung up after a few minutes and the guys headed out to see what was awaiting them.

Zoe took Wade's hand in hers. "Please wake up, Cowboy. I need to see those hazel eyes staring at me and I need to see that smile. I was so lost without you last night not knowing if you were hurt. I'm really not a needy person except when it comes to you. I just can't ever seem to get enough of you no matter what I do. I just love you so much. Lucas has been looking for you constantly. Fortunately he's so little that he doesn't understand what's going on. Right now he's with Lemon since I don't intend on leaving you until you wake up. So, that's incentive! You won't be able to get rid of me unless you cooperate. I know I'm rambling, but there's always the hope that you'll kiss me to shut me up as usual. Actually that's just a game I play, knowing that if I talk long enough, you'll shut me up". She laughed to herself. "Pretty childish, huh? But, like I said, I just can never seem to get enough of you". She looked hopefully at Wade, but still no response.

The guys were just riding around, looking at the damage. Surprisingly, the damage was minimal with the exception of the Rammer Jammer. Luckily, the majority of the people just had cleanup to face. There were a few minor repairs around town, but everyone always pitched in at times like these. That's another reason why it was such a great place to live. Lavon said "I'll call a town meeting for later today after we assess the damage. We can get a plan of action in place. Once all the homes are back in order, we'll have to tackle the Jammer. I don't see Wade getting back anytime soon to fix it". Earl just said "I'm sure everyone will pitch in. The Rammer Jammer is like their home away from home most of the time. There's not a question of where the money will come from since they have plenty of it in the bank".

Brick went back to open up the practice. There were a few minor injuries that needed tending, so he wanted to get to them as soon as he could. It seemed like everyone was pretty well prepared for the storm. Unfortunately for Wade, he had to wait until everyone was back home before he could even start closing up.

Back at the hospital, Zoe picked up her phone and called Lemon. "Hi, Lemon. How's Lucas doing? I'm sorry for leaving him with you. I know you get tired due to the pregnancy and all". She just said "Think nothing of it. I have Rose coming over later on to play with him for a while. He's keeps asking for you both, but as long as he knows you're eventually coming home, he stays happy. He's such a good little boy….when his father isn't around!" She chuckled. "Yeah, he's definitely Daddy's boy", said Zoe trying not to cry. Lemon caught the hitch in her voice "Zoe, try not to worry too much. He's had a rough time and his body is just trying to make sense of what's going on. He'll come around when he's ready". "thanks for that, Lemon" said Zoe. "I'll check in with you later".

She went back over to Wade and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'd sing to you, but you know how bad my voice is", said Zoe. But, I'll keep talking as long as I can and hope that you recognize the voice and come back to me. I know you're in there somewhere, you just have to fight through the fog". She ran her fingers through his hair trying to straighten it out. He looked so peaceful and she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you cowboy". Finally exhaustion got the better of her and she laid down next to Wade on the side with the good arm and was careful not to get near his ribs. She was asleep instantly. When the nurse came in to check on him, the scene before her brought tears to her eyes. She knew it was against regulations for someone to be in the bed with him, but she didn't have the heart to wake Zoe up. She heard from Dr. Breeland how in love the two of them were and that Zoe would be pushy if it came down to taking her away from Wade. The nurse quietly checked his vitals and left the room.

The town meeting commenced later on that afternoon. Lavon stood before everyone and said "Thank you all for coming. The past day or so has completely thrown us all out of kilter. Me, Earl Kinsella and Dr. Breeland rode around town to assess all the damage. We were very lucky in that there is only minimal damage in most areas. Please take care of your own homes first, then see if you can help out any of your neighbors . We have a lot of elderly people and they could certainly use our help. The main damage, as I'm sure you've all heard by now, is to the Rammer Jammer. A tree fell on it and knocked a beam loose. Unfortunately, that beam decided to fall on top of Wade Kinsella. Between that and the part of the ceiling collapsing, he's in rough shape at the moment. He's got a broken arm, some bruises, stitches and broken ribs". There was a collective gasp among the townspeople. "There's more", said Lavon. He took a deep breath and then said "Wade is in a coma and we're not sure when he'll come out of it". With that, Lavon finally succumbed to his exhaustion and broke into tears. Earl just went over to him and hugged him. "Lavon I think of you as a son, and if you need to shed some tears, do not be embarrassed about it. I know how much you love my boy". George and Jesse who were both at the meeting, ran up to Earl and Lavon and had a million questions about Wade. Earl just said "Zoe is there with him and you know that's all he would want. She'll let us know of any new developments, but we'll stop over later on to see if she needs anything". Now that Earl wasn't drinking anymore, he's become a take-charge kind of guy. Jesse was very proud of him at that moment.

After a few moments to compose himself, Lavon started in again. "Once you're gotten yourself all straightened out at home and with your neighbors, we're going to look for people to help put the Jammer back into shape. When Wade gets out of the hospital, he'll still be in no shape to do it on his own, even though he'll think he can" He got a chuckle out of the crowd on that one. On that note, he bid them all farewell and they left to get to work on their homes.

Zoe couldn't believe that she fell asleep. When she woke up she couldn't believe how long she slept. It was now early evening and it was starting to get dark outside. She got up, checked on Wade who still hasn't moved, then got up to call Lemon. There was no answer there, so Zoe just decided to go out into the hall to walk around for a minute. She head "Mommy!" and looked to see Lucas running down the hall to her. She knelt down and waited for him to get there. He jumped into her arms and said "I missed you", and gave her a big wet kiss. She smiled and said "I missed you too Tiger!". Lemon said "I'm sorry Zoe, but he was insistent and when he's like that there's no quieting him down". Zoe said "Yup, I know how that is. Is got the stubborn streak from both his father and me. Poor kid.". "How's Wade", Lemon asked. "Not really sure. I fell asleep for a while but I checked out the charts and it seems that the nurses have been in and out checking his vitals, which all seem fine. He just hasn't chosen to wake up yet. But I'm optimistic. I just keep talking to him and figure sooner or later it will get through to him".

Meanwhile, neither one of them realized that Lucas took off on his own. He could be very quiet when he was on a mission, and he meant to find his father. Lemon said to Zoe "Where's Lucas?" Zoe looked around and started to panic. At that moment, Earl, Lavon, Jesse and George came in . "What's wrong", asked Earl, after seeing Zoe in a panic. "Lucas was just here a second ago and now he's disappeared". "You know how he is, Z", said Lavon. "He's exactly like his father and when he wants something, he's going to get it regardless of how much trouble it will get him into". They all started looking around the hall and in the waiting room. Still nothing.

Zoe suddenly got an idea. "I know exactly where he went to", she said. "He knows his Daddy is here someplace and he has every intention of finding him". She ran to Wade's room and when she got there, she just stood there and burst into tears. Everyone ran up behind her and looked in the room and there was Lucas sitting on the bed staring right into his father's face AND Wade was staring right into Lucas' just like they were having a staring contest, only Wade has a big smile on his face.


	6. He's Awake

Wade finally came out of the coma and Zoe wanted to run over to him. She motioned for everyone behind to wait a few minutes and let him have his moment with Lucas. They were currently in a staring contest to see who would blink first. It's a game that the two of them play all the time and Wade usually gave in to keep Lucas happy. True to form, he did it this time too. "Daddy" Lucas whispered. "Lucas" Wade whispered back. Lucas just leaned even closer and gave his daddy a kiss. "Buddy, you know you're in trouble with Mommy, right? " Wade asked. Lucas just nodded and said "that's ok. Had to find you". With that Zoe ran over to Wade and Lucas and didn't know what to say first. She was rambling on and on as usual and Wade just said 'Momma, give me some sugar already!". So Zoe leaned in for a long awaited kiss. Lucas just said "Yuck" and everyone else laughed. "You're in trouble, little man", said Zoe. "You know you're not supposed to run off by yourself". Lucas just looked at her and said "ok".

Lavon just walked up laughing "Like I said earlier, no fear. Just like his father". Lavon grabbed Wade's hand a shook it, "How you doin' man? You had us all scared for a while". Wade just said "I'm not really sure what's going on or why I'm here". Zoe piped in "Well, it seems like during the storm, a tree came down on the Jammer and beam fell on top of you, pinning you to the ground. Then to add insult to injury, part of the ceiling came down on top of you! When we finally found you, you were knocked out and soon went into a coma when you got to the hospital. You have bruises, stitches, broken ribs and a broken arm. Other than that, you're good as new". She just smiled, happy to have her husband back.

The doctor came in to check him over and said that they wanted to take him for a few more scans just to make sure everything was ok. Everyone took that time to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat before he got back to the room. Earl however decided to stay behind. "I don't want my boy to come back to an empty room". He sat in the chair that Zoe previously occupied (and for which Lucas used to climb into the bed with Wade). Zoe walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder "I'll bring you back something to eat and drink". He just said 'thanks" and off they went.

Everyone was chatting happily, knowing that Wade was going to be OK. Zoe however wasn't going to be happy until he got out of there and she could take care of him instead. Lemon said "Zoe, get that look off your face….you're not springing him early so that you can get your hands on him!". Zoe said "I don't know what you're talking about, Lemon". Lemon just laughed. "Everyone knows that the two of you can't keep your hands off each other. I don't know what it is, but you're like magnets to each other!". Zoe just smiled. Jesse looked at her and said "OK Zo, what's up? You're WAY to quiet for you". George said "That she is. When have you ever seen Zoe just sitting and not talking? It goes against nature!" They were all laughing. "I'm glad you're all having such a good time at my expense", she huffed. She wasn't mad though, she knew exactly what they were talking about. Lavon looked at Zoe and said "Z, I have to agree with Jesse. What's up? The REAL Zoe would be super hyper about now and going on and on and on".. "OK, I get the picture", said Zoe. "I just have stuff on my mind that I need to process, then I'll be back to my normal self".

They finished up and went back to Wade's room to find that he's already back from his tests. Brick was also there. "I just happened to stop in and got here just as the doctor was leaving. He said that everything is looking good and that Wade should be able to go home the next day". Everyone cheered, even Lucas who didn't know what was going on". Zoe just went over to him and sat on the bed, grabbing his hand. "I will be so glad to get you home". He just looked at her and winked "I bet you will". Everyone just groaned and Earl said "Well, I guess he's back to normal!".

"On a more serious note," said Wade. "How bad is the Jammer?" Lavon looked at him and said "You don't need to be worrying about that right now. You just worry about getting home. We'll deal with it after we assess the damage. It all looks fixable though". Wade wasn't sure whether he was just saying that or if it was really fixable, so he was anxious to get over there and take a look. "OK, but on my way home from here, I do plan on making a stop over there". They all just nodded in agreement.

Everyone except for Zoe left. Lavon took Lucas once again for the night so Zoe could concentrate her energy on Wade. She said "You have no idea how scared I was when I saw you laying on the floor. My heart felt like it was right in my throat. I knew the other night that something was wrong, but I was just hoping it was something minor". Wade just looked at her "I'm really sorry that I put you through that. I honestly thought I had time to get home, but then the damn tree fell down and took care of those plans real quick. When I hit the ground, my phone took off, so I couldn't even call anyone while we still had service. After a few minutes, I felt myself getting weaker and weaker and I didn't know if I was dying or what the problem was. You and Lucas were the last thing I remember thinking about". Wade's memory was coming back slowly, but at least he was starting to remember the details. He smiled at her and took her in his good arm, giving her a hug. "But, guess you can't get rid of me that easily!" he laughed. She just glowered at him. He looked at her carefully and saw that she was still worried about something. "What's up, babe. You're not your usual self". She just looked right at him. "I was so worried. I couldn't imagine what I would ever do without you around. My life would be so empty and how would I raise our kids?" He looked closely at her for a minute then a big grin broke out on his face. "Um, did you say kids, plural?" She looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I did. Wade, we're expanding the family".


	7. Home Again

Wade just looked at Zoe "I can't believe we did it again. This is so amazing!"

"You're happy then?" asked Zoe.

"I couldn't be happier. This time around should be a little less stressful than the last time. I am just so excited !"

"Let's keep it to ourselves for a little while" said Zoe. "I'd just like to celebrate with you first before everyone else knows. Sooooo, you need to get out of here!" she laughed.

"Yes ma'am, I'll try my best" he said as he winked at her. With that said, the nurse came in and gave him some pain medication since his ribs were still extremely painful. Zoe just pulled up her chair and got ready for a long night.

Morning came around and once again the nurse came in to find Zoe in the bed curled up to Wade. "They're like magnets" she thought. "But if I had a husband that looked like that, I probably would be too!". She quietly came over and took his vitals and left the room.

Zoe awoke shortly thereafter and quietly got out of the bed. Wade woke up at the same time and said "Where ya going, doc? "

"I'm going to find the doctor so that he can check on you and let me know if we're able to get out of here today. I would think that since I'm a doctor they would let you out a little earlier". "Sounds good to me" he said. "I'm anxious to get in my own bed and have my wife curled up next to me without worrying about someone coming in". She just kissed him and left to find the doctor. In the meantime, Lavon and Lemon walked into the room. Lemon came up and kissed his cheek. "How are you feeling today, Wade?"she asked. "I'm good, but I should be asking how you're doing! ". "I'm feeling pretty good", said Lemon. "The baby is starting to get active, but it's just so exciting that I don't mind it at all" she said with a smile. "Yeah, I remember Zoe loving when that started too. Lavon must be in seventh heaven." Wade said. Lavon walked up "Without a doubt my friend. Before you know it, Lucas will have a friend to play with".

Zoe walked back into the room "Hey guys! You're bright and early this morning". Lavon said "We dropped Lucas off at Earl's and we wanted to check and see if there was any word when Wade would be getting out. There's still a lot left in town to do, so I figured this would be our first stop".

"The doctor should be in soon to check on him, then he'll let me know if he's able to go home. I hope it's today because I miss my husband". She leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss. "No, no, no." said Lavon. "You two better behave or we're leaving!" "Oh, Lavon, you're just jealous" said Wade. "You know me and the doc can't resist each other!" and they all laughed. Lavon said "That's very true and Lucas is living proof! You too better be careful or you'll be increasing the family again!"

"Too late, I'm….." Zoe's eyes got read big and she looked at Wade. She realized that she just leaked the information they wanted to keep secret!.

"You're what?" asked Lemon with a sly smile. "Oh, OK", said Zoe. "I'm pregnant again. I just found out and told Wade last night after everyone had left. I was supposed to keep it a secret a while, but it just slipped out!" There were congratulations all around and Lavon said "Like I said long ago….rabbits". Wade just looked at him "Again with the damn rabbits!".

The doctor came in and proclaimed Wade good enough to leave the hospital, but to be careful with his broken arm and ribs. Since Zoe was his doctor anyway, he was in good hands. Lavon hung around until all the papers were signed and the loaded the four of them into the car. On the way home, Wade could see a lot of the damage that was done during the storm but there were people out all over dragging debris into huge piles and others were doing the minor repairs necessary to get the town back in shape. At that rate, they would be back to normal in no time. Wade was getting antsy and wanted to see the Rammer Jammer, so Lavon gave in and they took a ride over there. He was shocked at all the damage that was done and started to get upset. Zoe just took his hand and said "It's all fixable, don't get all upset over it. The main thing is that you're OK. ". Lavon said "Once everyone has their damage under control, we're having a town effort to fix the place up. You'll have a lot of help, so no need to worry overly much about it. We should be able to start work in a few days". Wade just shook his head and said "OK, I'm ready to go home now".

They pulled up to the house and when Wade got out of the car he heard "Daddy!" and saw Lucas come storming out of the house as fast as his little legs would take him. Wade knelt down and waited for Lucas to get there. He slowed up when he got near his father so that he didn't knock him down. He just looked at Wade "hi daddy" and walked up to Wade and gave him a kiss. "Hey Buddy, I missed you". "Missed you too", said Lucas. He stood up and went over to his father. Earl gave him a hug and said "Welcome home, son. Glad you're ok".

Earl asked Lavon to take him into town so that he could start working with the others to get things put back together. For some strange reason, his house had no damage whatsoever, so he was free to lend a hand. Earl, Lavon and Lemon took off for town and Wade, Zoe and Lucas went into the house. "It is so great to be home", said Wade. They spent the rest of the day resting and enjoying each other.

The following day, Lavon came over all excited. "We're ready to start work on the Jammer! Everyone worked so hard yesterday and got a lot done. So, whenever you want to head over, feel free. I'm going over there now to start heading things up until you're there. "

"You don't have to tell me twice", said Wade. He looked at Zoe and she said "Go ahead, I know you're anxious. I'll stay here with Lucas for a while and head over a little later. Just be careful!". He ran up to her and gave her a kiss "You're the best", and left with a wink.

When they got there, there were already a lot of people waiting! Wade was suddenly overcome with emotion. He looked at Lavon and said "I can't believe all these people are here for me". Lavon smiled and said "You have to start giving yourself come credit, Wade. These people love you and your family and would do anything to help". Wade got out of the SUV and everyone was running up to him and welcoming him home.

All of a sudden they heard a very loud noise coming down and road. Then, ten motorcycles appeared and pulled into the Jammer parking lot. "I didn't know we became a biker bar", said Wade tentatively. Lavon just looked at him. The bikers were mostly big burly guys with long hair and tattoos and leather. They looked around at the townspeople and saw that they were intimidated, as well they should be. The bikers got off their bikes and started to walk around, looking things over and glaring at all the people. Wade didn't quite know what to make of them but since he was the owner, felt it was his responsibility to say something. Lavon looked at him and said "You know Zoe is going to kill you if they don't first". Wade just said "I have no choice, Lavon. This is mine and I intend to keep it that way". With that, Wade started to walk towards the bikers.


	8. Biker Bar

Wade started to walk over to the bikers, silently saying a prayer that thankfully Zoe wasn't there. She would have been all over him for going over there. He walked up to who he thought was the head guy "Can I help you with something?" he asked. All the townspeople were silently watching Wade (and thinking he was crazy). The biker looked Wade up and down and asked him "Do you know if we can get a drink at this bar? We've been riding for hours and have worked up a big thirst". Wade just looked at him and said "Well, as you can see, we're not really opened. There was a lot of damage done during the storms the other night and we we're just now going to start fixing it back up. But, we do have a lot of stuff in the coolers, so if you'd like, you can help yourself. I'm the owner so I'm just supplying the beverages and the food for all the people that came out to help. As you can see, I'm not in the best of shapes to do a lot of the work".

"Thank you very much" the biker replied. "We've been turned down by bars in the last two towns, so it's greatly appreciated. My name is Lenny, by the way. We mean no trouble, just passing through".

"That's good to know. I'm Wade Kinsella and welcome to my open-air bar". The biker laughed as he walked away to talk to tell the rest of the bikers. Wade turned around and came back to Lavon. "What was up with that!" asked Lavon. "Those guys look pretty dangerous". Wade just said "they've been riding a long ways and just want a drink. They've been turned down in the last couple of towns already. I didn't see any harm in it so I invited them to stay". "You WHAT? Said Lavon. "Are you nuts?"

"Yeah, maybe" said Wade.

All the bikers gathered around the coolers and grabbed beers. The townspeople started the clean-up of the Jammer, keeping their distance from the bikers. Wade just wandered around for the time being, checking up on what was going on. Lenny called him over. "Wade, I need to talk to you for a minute". Wade went over "What's up?" Lenny just said "My guys wanted me to thank you for them. They really appreciate it that you let them stay. It gets kind of tough when people don't even give you a chance." With that, Wade looked up and saw Zoe pulling up to the Jammer. "Uh oh, don't get too thankful yet, here comes my wife and she's a regular spitfire. She might just kick my butt for letting you stay!". Lenny just laughed and turned away.

Zoe got out of the car and turned Lucas over to Rose who was there with everyone else. She walked up to Wade and said "What the hell is going on here? Did you become a biker bar or something when I wasn't looking?" She stared at all the bikers hanging around. "They're fine, baby", said Wade. "I've met one of the bikers who seems to be the leader and he explained to me that they've been turned down in a couple of towns already and they were really thirsty. I don't think they're here for any trouble". As they were talking, Lenny turned around to say something to Wade and all of a sudden he yelled "Peanut?" Zoe looked up and saw who it was and she ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Lenny! "Oh my God!" She shouted. Wade had a look of total confusion on his face, as did the rest of the town. There was his wife in the arms of a huge biker and he was swinging her around in circles. Wade walked over "What the hell, Zo?" Lenny put her down and she went over to Wade. "Babe, this is my cousin Lenny and Lenny, this is my husband Wade". They just stared at each other in amazement and Lenny said "She's the one that would kick your butt? That I totally believe" and he started laughing. "Peanut was always a scrapper, even when she was young".

"Peanut?" asked Wade. "Yeah", said Lenny. I always called her that when we were little. She was so tiny that there was no other name that fit.

"We were very close when we were kids", said Zoe. "But then when we were growing up, the family didn't always agree with Lenny's way of thinking, so he just up and left. I haven't seen him since, and certainly didn't know he became a biker! We have a lot to catch up on before you leave, Lenny!

Lenny walked over to his comrades and talked for a while. He came back and said to Wade "If you need extra hands, we'll all gladly pitch in. You were kind enough to provide us with beers, so we'll stay and help. There's nowhere that we need to be right away anyway".

"That would be great", said Wade. "The more hands, the faster I'll be back up and running". "The hardest part will be co-mingling with the townsfolk. Good luck with that!" he said laughingly. Wade left to go and talk to Zoe for a minute. "Doc, you ok?" he asked. She was very excited and couldn't stand still.

"Wade I am so excited to see him. He was my best friend growing up and I was devastated when he left. I never knew what happened to him because he was now the black sheep of the family and nobody would talk about him. What a shock this has been".

"Well then", said Wade. "I guess you won't mind if I invite them all over to the house later on for a cookout? At least they'll get some food and they can always camp out if they want to. That way you'll get some time to catch up with your cousin".

"That would be great", said Zoe. "We can invited some of our friends over also and make a night of it. Should be fun". "OK with me", said Wade. "Just never thought I'd see the day I was spending the night with bikers partying at my house! There's definitely never a dull moment with Zoe Kinsella around".


	9. Reparations

The day actually ran very smoothly after the bikers mingled with the townspeople. The Bluebellians were feeling kind of rebellious, hanging out with such dangerous characters. Wade was getting a kick out of some of them. Dash was running around trying to get quotes from everybody. He was feeling like this was going to be a historic blog! Shula Whitaker happened to befriend a biker named Bulldog that loved cats! They were a perfect team. AB and Jesse were working alongside Snake who used to be a caterer by trade! AB and he were trading cooking tips the rest of the afternoon.

Lavon looked around and just shook his head. "Who would have EVER thought this would work out? Leave it to Zoe and Wade to pull something like this off" he said to his wife. Lemon just laughed. "Lavon, I really need to sit down for a moment. The baby is acting up and I'm most uncomfortable". Lavon led her to a seat by her father and went to find Wade. He wanted to discuss the cookout tonight and see what he needed to do.

With all the extra hands helping out at the Jammer, it only took the one afternoon to get the exterior of the place done. As it turned out, most of the bikers had construction experience, so they knew exactly what needed to be done. They were even teaching some of the others how to do different things. The citizens of Bluebell let down their hair and were enamored of the bikers. What a strange romance that turned out to be!

Wade and Zoe snuck off after checking on Lucas. Wade said "C'mon baby, lets go over by those trees for a while and get some privacy". "If I didn't know better", said Zoe "I would think you're trying to seduce me". "You got that right" laughed Wade. I just need a few kisses from my bride and new momma-to-be. So that was how they were when Lavon found them. "Hey you two! Knock that off!" he said. "You just don't give up, do you?" They laughed at Lavon and said "Sorry, Lavon. We couldn't help it".

Lavon asked what Wade needed him to do for that night's cookout, so they wandered off to talk about it while Zoe went to find Lucas. She was shocked when she came around the corner and found Lucas sitting on Lenny's lap and singing to him". She walked over and said "Hey you two!" Lucas looked up and said "Hi, mommy. I have new friend". Zoe said to Lenny "I see you met our son Lucas". Lenny said "Yup, it wasn't hard to know who he was when I saw him. He definitely looks exactly like his father". Lucas just looked up and said "me and daddy buddies". "No doubt", said Lenny.

Zoe was getting ready to leave and gave Lenny directions to the house. Lenny was so excited to be going somewhere they were invited for a change. "The invitations are few and far between, Peanut". True, we're not the nicest bunch of guys on occasion and we have all been in trouble at one time or another, but we're loyal friends. Once Wade came up to us and offered us drinks, he paved the way for everyone else in the town. You have a good man there". "Oh, I know it", said Zoe. "I couldn't live without him". She kissed Lenny on the cheek and said that she'd see him later on. Lucas gave him a high-five and the left to head home.

Things were wrapping up at the Jammer for the afternoon and Wade invited anyone that was left to stop over for something to eat later on. Thankfully all the food that was in the Jammer was still good since the refrigeration units and freezers were still working. He had Jesse and a few others with bigger vehicles load them up and bring everything out to Lavon's since that was where they decided to have the shindig. He had the much bigger yard, so it made sense.

"This is turning out to be quite a day, momma", said Wade when he got home. "You'll have to fill me in on Lenny later on so I know the story". "I'm sure we'll talk about it tonight" she said. "I still can't believe that I actually have him here with me. I was so heartbroken when he disappeared". "Well, you can find out the whole story later on", and he gave her a kiss and the three of them wandered over to Lavon's to start the festivities.

Once the bikers arrived and whoever in town was going to show up, Wade stood up and asked for everyone's attention. He asked Zoe and Lucas to come up beside him and he put his good arm around Zoe. "We just personally wanted to thank everyone for all their hard work this afternoon. There was no way that I was going to get any of it done until I get rid of this cast, which thankfully is in a month or so. I owe a lot to all of your and appreciate your love and support. Also, a big note of thanks for our new friends that showed up quite accidentally today but managed to win all of you over. You're such rebels!, he said with a chuckle. I plan on re-opening in a few days if I can manage it! Thanks again from my family and me. Now let's eat!

The cookout went on for hours. There was a band playing so everyone was up dancing and singing. Food and drink was plentiful and a good time was had by all. But, it was getting late, at least by Bluebell standards, and the regulars started on their way home, leaving the Kinsellas, Lavon and Lemon, Jesse and AB and Earl plus all the bikers. They were all sitting around in a circle around the fire and Lenny was filling Zoe in on all the trouble he's gotten into and how his life has been up to this point. Since it was getting later into the night, the band had stopped but they had the radio playing in the background. All of a sudden there was a news flash on the radio stating that someone escaped from prison and was believed to be heading towards Bluebell! Zoe almost passed out when she heard who it was…none other than Judson! She started shaking and AB quickly came over and took Lucas in the house. "Zo, snap out of it! begged Wade. "I can't believe that bastard broke out of jail, how the HELL could that have happened!" screamed Wade. "This can't happen all over again!". Lavon came over "Calm down, Wade. We don't know if he's really headed here or not. What's he going to do anyway? The two of you are always together".

"Look at me, Lavon! I have broken ribs and a broken arm. How the hell am I going to protect her and Lucas? Wade was almost in tears. With that Lenny came over. "Would anyone mind telling me what's going on? That announcement about the escaped prisoner seems to have set everyone off. One of the bikers, Snake, said "I know who that guy is. I was in the cell next to him for a while and all he kept ranting about was how some chick loved him and he was going to get her back. Pretty delusional character if you ask me. I can't believe he had the balls to escape".

Lenny looked at Zoe "Peanut, does this have something to do with you? I can see that you're so in love with Wade and can't figure out where the other guy fits in? Could someone please enlighten me".

Since the night was now ruined anyway, Zoe asked them all to sit down again and she started in on her story about the kidnaping, not leaving out any details. The bikers just sat and listened to the story as she told it. Lenny was visibly upset that such a thing could happen to her. "Wade, don't worry, we're here for the night anyway and I'm sure he'll be back in jail by tomorrow. We got your back". That seemed to help a little bit, but Zoe was still very visibly shaken up. They decided to call it a night and went into the house since they were planning on staying at Lavon's for the night. Soon after, Lavon and Lemon came in and Jesse and AB took Earl home.

Wade and Zoe went in to check on Lucas, who was sound asleep. Zoe just laid down on the bed and curled up in a fetal position. Wade gave her a kiss and said "I'll be right back, I just want to talk to Lenny for a minute". Zoe didn't say anything as he left.

He found Lenny with the other guys and asked him what the plan was. Lenny said "We'll take shifts sleeping just in case. I would feel better if we had one or two guys awake and watching the house for tonight. Like I said, I doubt that by tomorrow he'll still be out anyway". "Thanks" said Wade. I'll feel better knowing that you guys are out here". They shook hands and Wade went back into the house. He saw that Zoe wasn't moving at all, so he laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled right into him. Neither one realized just how tired they were and dropped off to sleep instantly.

When they both awoke in the morning, they got up and since Lucas was still asleep, wandered out to see how Lenny and the gang were doing. When they got outside, they were shocked. There were no bikers around anywhere. "What the hell", said Wade. "Where did everyone go? I thought they were watching the house last night!" Zoe was just as confused but then noticed a note stuck on one of the chairs. It read: "Wade and Peanut, something came up and we suddenly had to leave. It was pretty early in the morning, but we were here most of the night. Thank you so much for the hospitality. We haven't been welcomed anywhere in so long, it felt nice for a change. Peanut, sorry we didn't get a chance to catch up like we wanted to, but we'll stop back around one of these days on our way through and we can do it then. We won't make it so long between visits next time. Love to you all, Lenny."

Zoe was upset that he had to leave since she didn't get to talk to him all that much, but she knew now how his lifestyle was so she understood. He would be back she knew.

They went into the house and turned on the radio, trying to find out if there was any more news about Judson. Suddenly it came on the radio "For an update on the convict that escaped yesterday, he was dropped off at the jail in the wee hours of the morning today and left outside. There was a bag over his head and he was beaten up pretty badly, but not life threateningly. The most bizarre aspect of this is that he had his mouth taped shut and when they untaped his mouth, they found it full of peanut shells. We're sure this has some hidden meaning, but we have no idea what it would be. If anyone has any information, please give us a call at the jail".

Zoe and Wade just looked at each other and hugged and burst out laughing.


	10. The new arrival

Wade was finally back to normal again. Ribs have healed and the cast finally came off his arm. He couldn't believe how good it felt to be 100% again. Not that he would admit it to Zoe, but he was happy to be at work full time again. He really missed all the interactions with the customers and it was tough for him to be at home day in and day out. He loved spending all that time with her and Lucas, but there was only so much he could do. The one good thing was that he was able to help Zoe out a bit while she went through her morning sickness phase. But now that she's feeling good again, it was time for him to get back to normal.

The town was getting prepared for it's annual watermelon festival (Bluebell just loves festivals). Everyone was out in full force setting up booths and decorating for the next day's events. Zoe was there with Lucas trying to help Lemon set up, but he was in a 'wandering' mood today and she felt like tying him to a tree to keep him In one place! Zoe looked at Lemon and said "How are you feeling today, Lemon? You look exhausted?"

"I feel fine", she said. "It's just hard to sleep at night since I can't get comfortable. The baby is just so active now and loves poking me everytime I shut my eyes!".

"I remember how that goes", said Zoe. Lucas was a kicker almost from the start. It was great for Wade because he could feel the baby, but for me….not so much". They both laughed at that. Zoe looked up to see Wade walking towards them. "Daddy!" yelled Lucas and took off towards him. Wade saw him coming and bent over to scoop him up. "Hmmm, somebody have a little too much sugar today?" he asked Zoe. She just said "That's putting it mildly. He doesn't want to stay still today". Wade told her he would take him off her hands for a little while since he was on his lunch break. They wandered off to give Zoe a few minutes of not having to worry about him.

Lemon said "I hope Lavon is like that with the baby. Wade just loves Lucas so much and shows it all the time. "

"You should see them at home" said Zoe. They're like two little kids instead of one. Wade gets down in the dirt and plays if that will keep Lucas happy!". They were laughing and all of a sudden Lemon's eyes got huge!

"Lemon, are you OK?" asked Zoe. "You look like you've seen a ghost".

"I think my water just broke", said Lemon. "Either that or I peed my pants in a big way!". Zoe ran over to her and put her arm around Lemon to help her to a chair. Wade saw the whole thing happen (since he can't take his eyes off Zoe!) and ran over with Lucas. "Zo, what's going on?"

"Lemon's water just broke. You need to go and find Lavon and if possible, Brick. We need to get her to the hospital" Zoe told him. He handed Lucas off and took off for the town hall where he saw Lavon a short while ago.

"Lavon!" yelled Wade. Lavon looked up and said "What's up, my man?" "You look like you're in a hurry."

Wade said "Lemon needs to get to the hospital….it's time!" Lavon looked like he was going to pass out but Wade just yelled t him "Snap out of it, we gotta get going!". In the meantime, Zoe got Lemon over to Lavon's SUV and got her situated. She told her "I'll run back to the house and grab your bag, don't you worry about anything but you're breathing!". Luckily on the way to the vehicle they ran into Jesse who offered to take Lucas, so she didn't have to worry about him.

Wade made it to the SUV before Lavon and ran up to Lemon "How ya doin?" he asked. She just looked at him and said "Wade, I'm so nervous. I don't know if I can do this". He laughed "Well, it's a little late for that, don't you think? You'll be just fine". He hugged her as Lavon finally made it to the SUV. "We'll meet you there", said Wade. Zoe went to get Lemon's bag for her so you guys get to the hospital before you have to deliver the baby yourself!". Lavon turned gray at that comment and took off.

Wade took off for Lavon's to catch up with Zoe. The got the bag that Lemon needed and headed off for the hospital. "I wonder what they're going to have", asked Wade. "I'm really surprised that they didn't want to find out".

"They're just not as impatient as we are", laughed Zoe. "I'm just so excited and can't wait to see the baby!". They talked about the baby and about when they had Lucas all the way to the hospital. When they got there they were told that she was already in delivery. "I guess the baby wants to make a hasty exit", said Zoe. She was going to be the doctor for Lemon, but decided that it would be best if she had someone else do it. Zoe wanted to be on the sidelines for this one, and Lemon was good with that.

Wade and Zoe were in the waiting room when AB, George and Brick showed up. Jesse couldn't make it since he was keeping Lucas as long as he was needed. "Any word yet?", asked AB? "Not yet", said Zoe, but she's in delivery, so hopefully it won't be too long". Brick was a nervous wreck. "Brick, you shouldn't be so nervous", said Wade. "You've seen this done thousands of times". "Well, not with my daughter!" he said. With that, he continued his pacing.

About an hour later, they all looked up and there was Lavon, holding his little daughter. With the biggest bring they had ever saw on him he said "OK, guys, come and meet my little mocha chip, Daffodil!". They all got laughing at the mocha chip statement and ran up to Lavon. There in his arms was the most perfect little baby girl with mocha colored skin and blue eyes. "Wade just looked at him and said "I assume that Lemon named her?" Lavon just nodded with a big grin. "How's Lemon doing", asked Brick and Zoe at the same time. "She's tired but great!" Lavon. "She was a trooper the whole time and actually didn't do a lot of yelling and cursing at me!" as he looked directly at Zoe. Wade just laughed "Guess you had it better than me!".

Lavon had to return the baby to Lemon so he told them that they could come in shortly. He wanted to check with Lemon to make sure she was prepared. Being Lemon, she had to look just right before anyone else was allowed to see her.

Wade looked at Zoe and said "I wonder if we're having a girl this time? It would be nice to round out our little family!". Zoe looked at him and smiled "I don't know, but we can find out later on this week when we go to the doctor, if you'd like". Wade just said "You know me..no patience whatsoever, so yes, I would love to know!".

They just held hands and walked down the hall towards Lemon's room


	11. Surprise!

A few days later Zoe was going to pick Lemon and Daffodil up at the hospital and bring them home (since Lavon had an important mayoral duty to attend to). However, before she was going to do that, she had to stop by the practice so that she could get her sonogram done. Brick was waiting for her when she got there and soon after, Wade showed up. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"I definitely am" Wade said. "I can't wait to find out what we're having. At least that way we can be better prepared". Brick came out to get them and they walked into the room. He told Zoe "You know the drill, you need to lie down and pull up your shirt. We'll get started shortly". Zoe jumped right up and did as she was told. She too was anxious to find out what the baby was. She was secretly hoping for a girl this time around, but she didn't want to jinx it by saying it out loud. Brick wheeled the machine over to Zoe and Wade took her hand while Brick got started. It didn't take a lot of time at all for them to see the baby and to hear the heartbeat. Wade got so excited when he heard it and was grinning from ear to ear. "Wow", he said "I just cannot get enough of hearing that sound". However, Zoe was looking a little concerned. "Zo, what's wrong", Wade asked. "I'm not sure" she said. The heartbeat sounds a little strange to me". They both got quiet and just listened. Zoe started looking nervous and looked at Brick.

"Brick, does that heartbeat sound a little strange to you?" she asked worriedly. Brick looked at them and said to both of them "Listen carefully. You should be able to figure this one out". Wade just looked confused and all of a sudden Zoe got the biggest smile on her face. "What is it, babe?" asked Wade. "I'm not a doctor, so I can't figure these things out without a little help!". She just looked at Wade, took a deep breath and said "Well, cowboy, looks like we're having twins!".

"How did that happen!" Wade asked, smiling broadly. Brick just gave him 'that look' and said "I'm quite sure you know how that happened". They all laughed at that one. "I still can't tell the sex of the babies yet, but maybe the next time you come in we'll be able to figure it out", Brick said. "In the meantime, you can get cleaned up and go and rescue my daughter and granddaughter from the hospital!". Brick left the room and Wade gave Zoe a huge hug. "I can't believe it, two more babies! I was surprised when I only had one and now three! Bluebell will never be the same with three Kinsella kids running around!" Zoe just laughed. "Lucas will be thrilled! More kids to play with".

Zoe got cleaned up and dressed and Wade went back to work. She drove over to the hospital and went up to Lemon's room. "How are you feeling today, Lemon" she asked. "I'm great! I think it just because Daffy and I get out of here today. I can't wait to get her home. I know Lavon is anxious. He wants to be able to pick her up whenever he gets the chance!". "See, I told you he'd be a great father", said Zoe, smiling. "By the way, Zoe, did you find out what the baby was yet?" She looked at Lemon with a serious look "No, not yet. But we did hear a strange heartbeat and got pretty concerned about it". You father didn't seem overly worried and just told us to listen carefully, which we did. "Lemon, we're having twins!" Lemon let out a squeal "Yay! That will be so much fun! Now we'll have four kids running around. Who would have ever thought", she said.


	12. Big Surprise

After a couple of months, things were finally returning to normal for Lavon. He was starting to finally get the hang of being a new father. He felt comfortable enough to send Lemon for a day of spa treatment with Zoe and he and Wade were going to watch the kids for the day. Wade and Luke were over and were watching cartoons on TV (he personally thought that Wade enjoyed them as much as Lucas did). "Wade, could you give me a hand for a minute? I have to change Daffy and I'm not entirely comfortable doing it". Wade just laughed, "Just be happy that you have a girl. I can't tell you how many times Luke peed on me when I was changing him!". Lavon just laughed "I guess you're right, at least I don't get that part of it". Wade went over and made sure that Lavon was doing everything correctly and said "I never thought I'd see the day where I had to give advice on changing diapers!". Lavon just glared at him and finished up. "Wanna take the kids into town?" asked Lavon. "Sure, why not", said Wade "Luke loves to flirt with all the women!" Lavon shook his head "He's exactly like you, poor Zoe". "Hey! That's just mean!", said Wade and pretended to be offended.

They packed up the diaper bags and all the supplies they would need for a while and headed off. As they were walking through town they came across Brick crossing the street. "Well, I never in a million years would have ever thought I'd see the day where you two were taking their kids out for a stroll!" he laughed. Brick went over and gave his granddaughter a kiss "Hi there precious. Out for a day with your dad today?" Daffy just gurgled at him and smiled. "On another note, Lavon, have you given any thought to the upcoming annual softball game against Fillmore?" Lavon just shrugged and said "I'm trying to forget that it's coming up. It's very frustrating losing the game EVERY year and having Mayor Gainey rub it in my face. I just wish for once that we could win". Brick just said "One day we'll take them by surprise, but until then we just have to keep on trying. Too bad that we only have a handful of guys that are any good". With that said, Brick headed on his way.

Wade just looked at Lavon "You aren't planning on cancelling the game, are you Lavon?" Lavon just looked at Wade sadly and said "I guess not, but I'm really not looking forward to it". They both just nodded in agreement and left it at that.

Lucas was running up to everyone in town and giving them a hug. Wade just had to chuckle at how friendly his son was to everyone. Fortunately Luke knew his bounds when it came to strangers. He never went near them. All the townspeople just loved the little boy. Wade was never worried if he took his eye off him for a minute. He knew that everyone else was watching him at the same time. All of a sudden Lucas took off running and Wade looked up to see his father coming down the road. "Poppy!", yelled Lucas. Earl bent down to wait for Lucas to make it over to him. Lucas launched himself at Earl and almost knocked him over! "Hey little man", laughed Earl. "What are you doing here?" "Walking with daddy and Lavon and Daffy", Lucas said. He really has started to talk a lot in the last couple of months and Wade just teased Zoe and said that he definitely got that trait from her. He took his grandpa's hand and walked with him back to Wade and Lavon. "I believe you lost someone", said Earl. Wade just gave Earl a 'manhug' and they stood around talking for a while before Daffy started to cry. "Oh great", said Lavon. "What do I do now?" Earl took his cue to leave and get to his errands that he came to town for.

"Well", said Wade, "I would suggest you pick her up and try and figure out what she's crying about. There must be a reason". Lavon looked petrified. "Lemon usually steps in when she's crying!" "Oh, stop being a baby", laughed Wade. "I'll take her". He picked up Daffy and rocked her a bit as they walked and she went back to sleep. "Well done", said Lavon. "Guess I'm going to have to learn how to do that one of these days". Wade just glared at him and said "Ya think?"

They headed towards the Rammer Jammer to get some lunch since Lucas wanted to get a burger. Of course when he gets there, he starts playing the good host and goes around greeting everyone that was there. He just figured that since his dad owned the place, it was up to him to keep everyone happy. "He's quite the little businessman", said Lavon. "Yeah, I think everyone just comes in to see him", said Wade with a big grin. They were all sitting at their table eating when they heard a big racket outside. Wade got up and wandered towards the door to see what was going on, hoping that it wasn't some kind of trouble that he would have to deal with in front of his son. As he neared the door, it suddenly flew open and Wade broke out into a huge grin. "Well, look what the cat dragged in", he said. Standing in front of him was none other than Lenny and company. "Lenny" yelled Lucas and ran over, forgetting all about his burger. "Hi little man. How you doing?" He picked up Lucas and gave him a big hug. "I'm certainly not used to getting a welcome like this anywhere else" he laughed. "What brings you back to town", asked Lavon, who had wandered over once he saw who it was. "Well, lookee here", said Lenny. "Looks like congratulations are in order. She's a gorgeous little girl, Lavon". "Well thank you very much. I'm thinking that I'll keep her for a while" said Lavon with is proud papa face.

Lenny said to Lavon "Actually we came by because we wanted to ask you something". At this point, all the other bikers came up behind him and were waiting for Lenny to speak. "We were talking on the road, actually quite a bit, and the guys and I felt so good when we left town the last time. Nobody has ever welcomed us like your town did and made us feel at home. We were wondering if by any chance you would consider renting us Wade's old house. We would only be using it occasionally since we're on the road most of the time, but we wanted to have a place where we actually could stay and not worry about someone running in and arresting us because of the way we looked. Most times it would be all of us but once in a while one or two of the guys just want to get away for a while and we thought that it would be a great place just to lay low and take it easy. We realize that it's not that big, but we don't need a lot of space since we all have sleeping bags anyway.

Lavon looked surprised at the request and looked at Wade. Wade said "Well, I don't know about Lavon, but I would be happy to have you here. I KNOW Zoe would love it since she misses you so much and my son adores you, so no problem there either." Lenny just grinned at all the praise. "I miss Peanut too. I still owe her a long talk". "We still have a lot of stuff crammed into the house, but we could get it all out of there for you", said Wade. "Gives us a reason to finally tackle the job".

Lavon finally spoke up. "I see no reason for you not to rent the house if you really want it. It's pretty much off the beaten path, but close enough to town to be convenient. It would be nice to have some other guys around to talk to".

Wade just looked at him with a surprised look. "What? I'm not good enough for you anymore?" he asked. Lavon just looked at him and grinned "Not when you get all googly-eyed when Zoe is around. You're pretty much useless!" Everyone laughed, including Wade. "Yeah, I see your point".

Lavon looked at the ten bikers and said "I think it would be a great arrangement, and have no problem whatsoever renting to y'all. However, there is one condition". Wade just looked at him confused, as did the bikers. "And what might that condition be?" asked Lenny tentatively.

Lavon just stared at them all with a grim look on his face. "Can any of you play softball?"

Wade started laughing "good thinking, my man!" Lavon started laughing as well and said "Well, I had to give it a shot with the big game coming up.'

Lenny looked at the rest of the guys and finally said "You got yourself a deal. Actually we're very good at softball and play often when we can get a pick-up game somewhere. Snake actually played semi-pro ball before he got hurt and decided to give it up and the rest of us have been playing for years."

After Lavon heard that, he broke out into the 'happy dance'. Lucas joined in and Lenny just said "I take it that we're accepted?" Wade just looked at him and said "We'll start moving our stuff out as soon as possible. I can't wait until Zoe hears the news!"


	13. Telling Zoe

Zoe and Lemon returned home from their day at the spa to find Wade and Lavon all excited and dancing around like fools. Zoe walked up to Wade and said "What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Have you been drinking?" She started to get mad since they were responsible for the kids while she and Lemon were out for the day. "Nope", said Wade. I have some news that you'll be pretty excited about!" Zoe just looked at him strangely and Lavon said "Well, I rented Wade's old place today". "Oh great", said Lemon. You know we don't want 'just anyone' there, if you know what I mean". "This isn't just anyone", said Lavon. "Well, c'mon then and spill the beans", Zoe said, starting to get a little impatient. "Go and ask Luke, he'll tell you", said Wade. Now Zoe was really confused. Something strange was going on here and she needed to get to the bottom of it. She found Luke and said "Hey buddy, I heard somebody was going to move into Daddy's old house. Would you happen to know who it it?". He looked at his mother and said "Yup" and resumed playing. Wade and Lavon were laughing since Luke was really playing it cool and trying to aggravate his mother. "He pays way too much attention to you" Zoe said to Wade. She looked at Luke and said "Would you please tell me who it is?" "OK", said Luke. "It's Lenny". What! screamed Zoe. "How did that happen?" She was so excited she didn't know what to do.

"When we were at the Jammer for lunch, they all came in and took us totally by surprise. Lenny said that they all felt so welcomed the last time they were here that they wanted to get a place just as a sort of flop house where they could stay when they wanted to get away from things. It wouldn't be all the time since they're on the road most of the time. " Wade explained.

Lemon said "That would be great. They were really a nice bunch of guys and it would be nice to have someone in that old empty house. I have no problem with them being here". Zoe just looked at Lemon. It was amazing how much she's changed since she and Lavon got together. There was a time when she wouldn't have given them the time of day, but now she's much more relaxed.

Zoe just said "Well I know I don't have a problem with it. It will be great to have Lenny around again, even if it's only for short periods of time." Wade looked at her and said "Well it was pretty much a done deal when Lavon found out they can play softball!" Lavon just laughed and said 'Well we needed help! We can't depend on Brick and Dash to be of much help anymore. AND it's in the bylaws that the players have to be residents of the town so now they are! I can't wait to see what Mayor Gainey has to say about that!"

Lemon laughed and said "Thank you so much! Another year of seeing Dash and my father in softball uniforms might just do me in. Definitely not a flattering fashion statement for either one of them! Some of those biker dudes might just look pretty hot though". Lavon just looked at her and raised his eyebrows. She said 'What? I can't look?" Everyone else just laughed since it was so un-Lemon like.

Since they decided just to cook steaks on the grill and have salads, the guys went to get the steaks started and Zoe and Lemon took the kids inside to get washed up and to feed Daffy. Zoe started working on the salad and Lemon took Daffy upstairs. Zoe said to Luke "Hey! Do you want to help me?" Luke was all excited since he loves when his mom lets him help. He jumped up and ran over to her 'What can I do?' She thought for a moment and told him "I think today you can tear the lettuce up for me and toss it in the bowl. When you're done, we'll find something else for you to do". "OK" he said and grabbed the lettuce and started to work on it.

Once everything was done, they went out to the picnic table outside to have a little picnic for themselves, enjoying each other's company. Zoe was snuggled up to Wade since she hadn't seen him all day. "What's up, babe?" he asked. "Nothing really, my pregnancy hormones are acting up and I just really needed to feel you next to me". He looked at her "In other words, you're horny!" and started to laugh. She just glared at him and said "Yeah, so?" He just gave her a kiss and said "just wait til I get you home and get Luke to bed. I'll show you yeah so!". Lavon rolled his eyes and said "After all this time, one would think you two might be a little tired of all this touchy feely stuff, but nooooo, it's just keeps getting worse and worse!" Lemon just chuckled "I think he's jealous", she said. "I just love Zoe being pregnant", said Wade. She gets hornier than normal." Zoe looked at him and swatted him in the back of the head. "You're not supposed to tell everyone that!" she said. "Why? It's not as if nobody ever notices", he said. "Damn straight", said Lavon.

"Damn straight", said Lucas between bites. Everyone turned to look at him since he's never said that before. "Oh great, Lavon. Now look what you did!" said Wade. Lavon just shook his head and tried very hard not to laugh.

As they were finishing up, off in the distance they heard the motorcycles coming down the road. Zoe jumped up to greet Lenny and the guys. As he pulled up she almost knocked him off his bike. "Peanut! I'm so glad to see you", he said. Zoe just hugged him and said 'I'm so glad you're coming here to live, even if its only off and on". "It will give us a chance to catch up some more and for Lucas to get to know you better. AND, we're having twins!" Lenny just looked at her and said 'Well geez, Zoe, you don't do anything halfway, do you?" She just said "With a husband like mine, I'm surprised I'm only having two!"

Lavon overheard that and came over and said "This is what you have to look forward to. Those two never quit…..we always tease them about being like rabbits". Lenny just laughed. The rest of the guys came over and hugged Zoe and shook hands with Lavon and Wade. Lemon stayed in the background, but waved to all of them. She was busy with Daffy and didn't want to disturb her. Lenny said "We wanted to check things out at the house and see what needs to be done. We can help you guys move stuff if you need us to". "That would be great", said Wade. In Zoe's condition, I don't really want her lifting too much, even though she thinks she can". Wade and Lavon went over to the house with the guys and Zoe and Lemon started to clean up the dinner dishes. "It will be so nice to have family around", said Zoe. I haven't had that in a long time". Lemon just looked at her and said "Zoe, as far as I'm concerned, you are my family. Lord knows I never thought I'd be saying that, but I'd be lost without you around. You truly are my best friend". Zoe teared up and hugged Lemon. "Thanks, I feel the same way about you".

While the guys were at the house they decided that the next day they would hold an impromptu softball game between the other players and decide how to set their lineup for the big game. Wade and Lavon were getting excited about it since they might actually be competition this year.


	14. Getting the Team Ready

The next day was a beautiful Alabama morning with the sun shining and comfortable temperatures. Wade and the bikers were working on moving all the extra stuff out of his old house and either getting rid of it or bringing it over to Wade and Zoe's to find a new home for it. They had the scrimmage softball practice in a couple of hours and wanted to get as much out of the way as they could so at least the guys could use the house if they wanted to. Wade was actually pretty excited about having them as neighbors, especially since Lavon wasn't around all the time when he needed someone to talk to.

Once it started getting near noon, Zoe wandered over with bags of take out from the Rammer Jammer, figuring she could at least feed all the guys since they've been working so hard this morning. "Hey guys, lunch is here" she yelled. Of course heads looked up and there were smiles all around. They definitely worked up a hunger and were anxious to sit and take a breather. She set the food and beverages on the picnic table and let them have at it. Lucas wandered over to his dad and sat on his lap and tried to get some of his fries. Lenny just laughed "totally amazing how you two look and act alike. Luke has all of your mannerisms and facial expressions". "Yeah, he does", said Wade, but he definitely has his mother's gift of gab" he laughed. Zoe just glared at him but still went over and hugged him. "You guys ready for the practice this afternoon?" she asked. "We should have a pretty good turnout since the town is anxious to see how you guys really play ball".

"I'm pretty excited myself", said Wade. "We haven't had a decent team and years and just the thought of possibly scoring some runs for a change is a nice change". Everyone laughed at that. "Mayor Gainey always seems to get ringers to play in the games so we never really stood a chance. When you look around at all the guys that we have, the pickings are pretty slim!". Lenny just said "Well, we'll see what we can do about that. My guys don't intimidate easily so we would love to give them a run for their money."

After lunch Lenny said to Wade and Zoe "We've got a surprise for Luke, but I didn't want to give it to him until there was more room around here. Would it be OK to give it to him now?"

Before long it was time to head over to the ballfield for the practice game.

There was a huge crowd there when all of them arrived. Since Lavon was the captain of the team, he addressed all the players. "OK, listen up. You regular players may not realize that I now have new tenants on the plantation in Wade's old house. Yup, it's the 10 bikers that we've all met previously. Since they're now tenants, that means that they can play in the game this year and Mayor Gainey has nothing to say about it. Now what's going to happen is that if you do NOT want to play any longer, please let me know that I can take your name off of the roster. I know there's a few of you that were just doing this to fill in spots. Those of you that still want to play will have to audition, so to speak, and we will assign positions after the practice".

Brick and Dash went right up to Lavon and happily gave him their resignations. Brick said "Thanks to Lenny and company. I'm way too old to be playing this game with a bunch of youngsters". Dash just said "And I won't have to go through the humiliation of trying to fit into a uniform and then having to run!". Lavon just had to laugh, but totally understood where they were coming from. There were a few others that decided not to play, but all the mainstays remained; Wade, Lavon, Jesse, George, Meatball and Tom. There were a couple of the bikers that decided not to play since they were nursing colds and didn't feel all that great to begin with. But they definitely had enough to field a decent team if all worked out well. Lavon said "OK everyone, we'll play 7 men to a team and take it from there. I'll be one of the captains and Wade can be the other one. Once the teams are decided, you can choose your positions and we'll start".

The teams were decided and since Meatball was the only one that wanted to be catcher, he played for both teams. As it turned out, Snake was a pitcher in his previous life and when he threw the first pitch, both Lavon and Wade knew that it was going to be his position to play. He struck out the first 4 batters. Since Tom used to pitch, he wasn't too upset to give up the position to Snake. After a couple of hours of playing, the roster was decided. Pitcher – Snake, Catcher – Meatball, Shortstop – Wade, 1st base – Lavon, 2nd base – Lenny; 3rd base Jesse; Centerfield – Chopper; Leftfield – George; Rightfield – Boomer and Shortfield – Tom. Now that they knew where everyone was playing, they had a few days left to practice. Things were definitely looking up for the Bluebell team.

The guys were into the first hour of practice and the temperature was starting to rise quite a bit. Needless to say, guys being guys, shirts started coming off. Zoe and Lemon were sitting and watching with the kids and suddenly Luke took off his shirt. Zoe knew right away what was going on and looked to see Wade doing the same thing. "Oh man", she said to Lemon. "I don't know how I'm going to last through this. I'd just love to run right out there and jump his bones about now", she sighed. Lemon just looked at her and said "Zoe Kinsella, don't you dare do that! That is definitely something that I do not want to see in my lifetime!" and started to laugh. "Although if you look around, I think half the women here are thinking the same thing!". "Well that's great, just great", she said. "Now the fat lady has competition!". Lemon said "Zo, do you honestly think he has eyes for anyone else? They could all strip bare naked and he would still only be looking at you!". Zoe just thanked her and smiled.

Finally the guys decided to end for the day so that they could all get other stuff done. They agreed on a few nights of practice, but the big game was coming up on Saturday. That would be the true test.


	15. Lucas' Surprise

Almost everything of Wade and Zoe's was out of the house and the guys were now ready to move in. They really didn't have that much stuff since they pretty much lived on the road, but anything that they could offload, they did so. Wade, Zoe and Luke were over there checking to make sure they were n't missing anything important and while they were there Lenny said "Peanut, we have that surprise that we promised for Luke a few days ago. We were waiting until we got a lot of this stuff out of the way before we gave it to him.". Zoe said "OK, I guess now is as good as any to give it to him". With that, Lenny went behind the house and out he comes wheeling a mini Harley that had the name Kinsella painted on the frame and the helmet had Luke's name on it. Wade took one look at it and ran over to check it out (since he's pretty much of a big kid himself). Zoe was speechless and Luke was in seventh heaven. He wanted to take off and go for a ride already. Wade just looked at Lenny and said "Not to appear ungracious or anything, but don't you think he's kind of young for this? He's still just a little guy". Lenny grinned and said "No, not at all. He turned and handed something to Wade so Zoe came over to check out what it was. Lenny said "Chopper used to work in a shop that built customized bikes, so we all chipped in and he built this one for Luke. The thing that you have in your hand is a remote control that acts kind of like a driver education vehicle. You can slow it down, speed it up, turn the wheels, etc. You would actually be more in control of the vehicle than Luke is, but he would feel like he was the driver. " Wade was flabbergasted. "I have never seen anything like this before. This is really amazing!". Chopper came up and said "It was a meeting of the minds. We all chipped in ideas and came up with this. We all love the little guy like he was one of us. He always comes by with a high-5 when he sees us, so we wanted to do something for him". Zoe just said "This is way cool! I can't wait to see him go for a spin!". Luke was so excited he could barely contain himself. "Mom, can I ride?" Lucas just about screamed to Zoe. "Better ask your dad first", said Zoe. Wade came over "OK, Bud, let's give it a try". He put Lucas on the bike, strapped him on, put his helmet on and Lucas turned the key. Wade simultaneously turned the key so that Luke would think he was doing it. The bike roared to life and Lucas was beyond thrilled. Lavon came running over to see what all the noise was about only to see Luke riding a mini-motorcycle! "What the hell?" said Lavon. Wade told him "It was a gift from the guys. They built it for Luke and it has a remote control box so that I'm actually the one operating it but Luke think he's the one in control". "Wow, pretty cool", said Lavon. Wade checked to make sure Luke was holding on and he started the bike moving. Lucas was so excited. They went for a little spin and then Wade told him that it was enough for now and that they could ride later on. Luke got off and said to Lenny "I ride with you guys next time!", and everyone started to laugh. "Oh great", said Zoe. My own little hell's angel. The called Luke over and gave him the ground rules for the bike. Wade said "If you don't go by the rules, Mommy and I will be taking it away from you, so you best listen up". Luke just said "ok' and went on his way to go and find Daffy and Lemon.

After all the excitement, Wade had to go into work since he took the day shift which leaves him getting home at a reasonable time for Zoe and Luke. The place was crowded when he walked in since it was noon and they did a big lunch business. Everyone was buzzing about the game coming up since Dash was now free to blog about it. He had the townspeople so excited about it that there was no doubt that everyone would be at the game. They all still loved feeling rebellious by being friends with bikers and they were looking forward to seeing how they would deal with playing ball. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Mayor Gainey! He walked up to the bar and asked for a beer. Wade walked over and said "Afternoon, Mayor. What brings you to Bluebell this fine afternoon?" "Other than the beer there's not much this town has to offer", Gainey said. Wade just ignored that comment and said "Are you ready for the game on Saturday? Wade asked. "You sure that you still want to play? laughed the mayor. "You would think that you'd be tired of being losers after all this time". Obviously the mayor doesn't bother reading the Bluebell blog or he wouldn't have been quite so cocky about things. He was still under the assumption that it was the same old tired team that they always have. "Do you seriously think you have a chance?" said Mayor Gainey.

Wade just looked at him and winked "We'll see come Saturday, Mayor". And with that, he walked away leaving the mayor with a confused look on his face.


	16. Almost Game Time

It was finally the day of the big softball game. Wade woke up with Zoe in his arms and gave her a big smile when she woke up. "Mornin' gorgeous", he said, giving her a big kiss. He bent over to kiss the babies also and said "morning to my beautiful babies". Zoe just looked at him and smiled. "Well, aren't we in a good mood today", she said. "I'm just so excited. I think we actually might have a shot at winning this game" he told her. "Those guys are really good". Zoe just said "Don't count your chickens before they hatch". "You know they ALWAYS have a good team". "We'll see", said Wade with a wink as he got out of bed. Zoe just lay there and admired the half naked man before her. "Good thing he's putting on clothes" she thought. "otherwise I might have to drag him back to bed!" Wade knew exactly what she was thinking when he saw her face and just smirked at her and shook his head.

Wade went and got Luke up and was getting his breakfast for him when Zoe strolled into the kitchen. He went and grabbed the tea that he made for her and brought her a bowl of cereal and fruit. "Thanks, baby", she said. They all atE their breakfast, excited for what the day was going to bring. Wade told Luke "Daddy has to play ball today, so you can come to the game, but after the game, you're coming back to Lavon's with Poppy and Daffy". Luke was so excited, not only to watch the game, but he loved spending time with Poppy and Daffy. He treats Daffy like she's his little sister and is very protective of her. Poppy is a pushover though, there's not much he denies Luke and Luke knows that. So, like his father, he knows a good situation when he sees it. Of course Earl has his limits also, to Luke gets away with nothing that might hurt him.

"The guys are all meeting at the Jammer before the game to go over strategy", Wade told Zoe. "If you want, you can stay here with Luke and come over to the field before the game instead. I know you get bored with all the baseball talk!" Zoe had to agree with him there. "Yup, I definitely do. I'll stay here and get some things done around the house and hitch a ride over with Lemon. I'm sure she's not going to listen to you guys talk either!" she laughed. Wade came over and put his arms around his wife and gave her a big kiss "Wish me luck?" he said. "You know it!" she laughed. "I'll be your biggest cheerleader". He smiled and said "OK then. I'll see you a little later". He left and headed towards the Jammer to meet up with the guys. Since his uniform was hanging up there, he'd get changed when he got there.

Lavon was already there when he arrived and opened the doors. "Hey Lavon. Ready for the big game?" he asked. Lavon just looked at him and said "Well, I 'd be a little more ready if this damn uniform wasn't so tight! It's pinching in places that I don't want pinched". Wade laughed so hard at that comment. "Well, someone has been eating good!". He still couldn't stop laughing and Lavon just glared at him. "Well, maybe it will stretch out a bit" he said to Wade hopefully. "You're starting to look like Dash", said Wade, still laughing hysterically. Lavon just gave him the evil eye and wandered off.

The rest of the guys started arriving a few at a time. George and Jesse came in together, having just had breakfast together. AB wanted to make sure that they ate good and had extra energy for the game! George said "Hey, Wade. Can I use your office to change? I didn't feel like traipsing through town in a uniform". "Sure", said Wade. "Most of the guys will be in and out of there anyway since they haven't changed yet". Jesse went in the back with George and said "Just like school days! We all have to change in the locker room". "Yup", said George. "That's pretty much what the office smells like anyway!" They were both cracking up over that one.

The bikers all showed up en masse and came into the Jammer. They, unlike the other, had no problem going though town in uniforms. They thought it was pretty cool for a change. Everyone was looking at them and cheering that they were somebody special. Lenny came up and gave Wade a man-hug. "Ready for today? He asked. "You know it", said Wade. "I could hardly sleep. I have a good feeling about today". Lenny had to agree. "Yeah, me too. We need to kick some Gainey ass!" Wade laughed at that. "Guess I better go and change", he said. "Don't want to be late". Wade went into the back and came out a few minutes later. He went up to Lavon and said "I know what you mean about the uniforms. Mine seems to be a little more snug than it was last year". Lavon just looked at him and said "Wade, my boy, you better hope that you don't get a boner or you're really going to be in trouble!" All the guys were laughing at that statement and Wade just blushed a bit. "Just keep Doc away from me, and I'll be fine" he finally said.

It was time for them to head out. The field wasn't that far from the bar, so they all decided to walk over. When they got there, the entire team was there from Fillmore was already practicing on the field. Jesse said "I think this is a ploy to intimidate us". "Well, it's not working", said Snake. "Takes a hell of a lot more than that". Mayor Gainey saw them coming and walked up to Lavon. "Well, Mayor Hayes, are you ready lose a game today?" "Nope", said Lavon. "We have a pretty good team and we're not worried about it". Gainey just looked around and said "You do know that the rules state that all players must be residents of the town?" Lavon looked at him and said "Here's a copy of their lease. They all live here now". Mayor Gainey just squinted his eyes and looked at all of them. "OK then. You can keep your new players. After all, how good can a bunch of guys with ponytails be?" "Uh oh", said Wade under his breath. "He doesn't realize that he just doomed his team".

Each team went onto different ends of the field to warm up before the game. The fans were all starting to arrive since they didn't want to miss anything. Lemon, Zoe and the kids arrived and found AB sitting in the bleachers waiting for them. They climbed up a few rows, which was pretty tough for Zoe, and settled in. Meanwhile there were a group of 5 young groupies in the row in front of them. As soon as they were situated, they starting talking about the players and deciding which ones they were going to try and hook up with. Naturally the cutest one of the bunch picked Wade right off the bat. "Check out the blond guys with the tight uniform. Looks like he has quite a lot to offer." They all started giggling. "I would love to just go up and grab a handful of that ass", she said. Meanwhile Zoe was just sitting there taking it all in. Lemon was watching her carefully, knowing that Zoe had a real bad temper when someone was making the move on Wade. However, she didn't say anything and Lemon whispered "You OK Zo?" "Yup", she said. "Not really sure I can compete with the likes of that though. I'm huge and she's so young and cute". Zoe was starting to get a little depressed. "You have nothing to worry about" said AB. "That man adores you". Even though Zoe loved hearing that, she still didn't feel good about the situation.

The game was starting soon, all the players came back to their respective sides of the field. Wade saw Zoe sitting there with Lemon and AB and the kids so he looked her way and sent her a big wink. Zoe smiled at him but then heard the blond "See, he's noticed me already. Did you see him wink at me? I'm definitely going for that after the game." Wade had no clue what was going on since he didn't see anyone but Zoe, but Zoe knew what the girl was up to and went into a deeper funk. Lemon noticed this and decided that she would have to closely watch the situation and take things into her own hands. If needed, she would just shove the other girl off the bleachers!

The girl noticed Wade looking her way and did her best to give him signals that she was interested and available. Of course he wasn't really looking at her, but the girl was totally clueless as to who was sitting behind her.

The captains of the teams met on the field with the umpire and discussed the rules. The next thing everyone heard was "PLAY BALL!"


	17. The Ballgame

The big game was just about to begin and by this time, Zoe wasn't even interested. She was more worried about the girls in front of her trying to get Wade's attention. "Mommy, what's wrong?" asked Luke. He could tell something was bothering his mother and always wanted to make her feel better. "Nothing, honey. I just have a headache". Luke just looked at her and said "OK then" and climbed back onto his grandfather's lap. Earl knowing what was bothering Zoe just looked at her and said "Zoe, look at me. You know Wade loves you more than life itself. Don't worry about these bimbos, they've got nothing on you". Zoe leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Earl. I needed that", she smiled at him. Zoe suddenly perked up and decided that she would just listen to the girls go on and on, at least for now. When another one of the said "I think I'll go after the big black dude". With that, Lemon sat straight up and said "Oh no she didn't", and Zoe just laughed. " Let's just let it ride for now and see what kind of fools they can make of themselves" Zoe said. "Our guys aren't going anywhere". They both giggled over this. Meanwhile Lemon just finished up feeding Daffy and was trying to burp her. Zoe said "Here, let me do that for you", knowing how Daffy was after her meals. She was just about ready to burp and Zoe held her out knowing that she would spit up and not to disappoint…she did. Zoe timed it perfectly so that it went down the back of the blond's shirt, who was none the wiser about what was going on behind her. "Oopsy", said Zoe as she handed Daffy back to Lemon. "That's mu girl!" said Lemon. Luke just said "Eww, gross". Lemon and Zoe were laughing so hard that the girls in front turned around and said "Do you mind, we're trying to watch the game". Zoe just rolled her eyes and Earl said "That's my girl. A true Kinsella if I ever saw one".

The game actually started out pretty slow. It was turning out to be a pitcher's duel for the first couple of innings with just a few scattered hits. At the bottom of the 5th inning Fillmore was shutting them out 5 – 0. Wade called all the guys into a huddle. "OK, we've played with them long enough, time for us to get serious". Unbeknownst to the other team, they had planned on going easy for a while and getting them into a false sense of security. Mayor Gainey was on the field yelling that he was getting bored out there and would somebody please get a hit. He said "I knew those guys with the ponytails were just sissies. They couldn't hit a ball if their life depended on it". The others on his team were heckling in the same manner.

"Not the right thing to say", said Snake. The others agreed with him and decided that each time they were at bat this time around, they would all try and get hits. Tom led off and Fillmore wasn't overly concerned. Since Tom wasn't the greatest player on the team, the pitcher was being wise guy and lobbed the ball nice and slow. However, Tom had been practicing and got in a nice shot to right field and managed to get to 1st base. The pitcher decided that it probably wasn't the best of ideas to play around so when George got up to bat, he got back to serious pitching. George swung a couple of times and missed but on the third pitched he nailed a nice one to center field and earned himself a double, advancing Tom to 3rd. Jesse got up next and they decided that he should bunt to get on 1st. Unfortunately, that didn't work out real well and both Tom and Jesse were out. Next up was Wade. He looked up at Zoe and blew her a kiss and smiled. Of course blondie thought it was for her and jumped up all excited. Zoe had just about enough of her for now, so she stood up and pretended to try and get down, but pretended to slip instead, pushing the blond while trying to catch herself. The blond almost went toppling down on top of the row in front of her. "Sorry", said Zoe. "I lost my footing" she said innocently. The girls just glared at them. Blondie said "Just be more careful next time. I have a date with the guy at bat after the game". Zoe just looked at her and said "Well, good for you then. Good luck". When things were back to normal Lemon looked at Zoe and said "Umm, I think you might deserve an Academy Award for that performance!". They all started to laugh.

Wade hit a home run driving in Jesse and himself. The score was now 5 – 2 and only a couple more innings to go. The rest of that inning was pretty uneventful, but that's just the way they wanted it. Mayor Gainey was feeling pretty confident at this point since Bluebell only got two more times at bat. He yelled "Do you want to throw in the towel now? There's no way you losers can win at this point". The Bluebell team just glared at him and told him to shut up. Gainey kept it up and kept it up though, making the guys more aggravated.

In the 6th inning, Snake decided that he was going to go all out with his pitching and threw the ball faster than Fillmore was used to. Three men up, three men down. He struck out the first three batters, which shut Gainey right up. Snake just looked at him and spit into the grass. "I'll give you sissy-boy" he said. Bluebell had two more shots to catch up, but were surprised when nobody got a hit in the bottom of the 6th!. "Well, that's not too good", said Wade. "We have one more shot to win this thing and I really don't want to be disappointed. We have to hold them this inning and then make up the runs in the bottom of the 7th. "OK, boss", said the rest of the team. Once again, Snake killed them on the pitcher's mound. The first batter got a single, but then he struck out the next three again with his fastball. They were out of time and just had to hope they could hold Wade and company to 2 runs or less.

Fillmore was still getting cocky, feeling that this game was in the bag since they still had a three run lead. However, Bluebell had other ideas. The crowd was really getting into it since they really wanted their beloved Bluebell to finally win a game. Wade was doing his usual pacing and Lavon was trying to calm him down. The girl next to blondie said "Gee, we can probably double date since it looks like our two guys are good friends". Zoe just opened her mouth and pretended to gag herself. Lemon was trying not to laugh at the stupidity of the girls, and Earl was just shaking his head. "This is almost as fun as the game", he said.

First batter was Jesse, who managed to get a walk to first. Wade had two strikes but then came through with a single, advancing Jesse to second base. Wade and Jesse kept trying to take leads, but didn't want to be too bold. They couldn't afford to get picked up at this point in the game. Lavon was up at bat and Gainey called a time-out. He said to the pitcher "I think you might want to walk him. He's one of the best batter's in the team and they already have two men on base. If you give him a chance for a home run, that would drive in 3 runs and the game would be tied. One of the sissy guys is up after him, so we should be OK". The pitcher agreed and so Lavon just had to stand there while he was thrown 4 balls in a row.

Mayor Gainey didn't realize that the 'sissy boy" used to play semi-pro ball, so he was pretty confident in his choice of calls. Snake got up to bat and gave Mayor Gainey the finger. "That's for all the insults", he said. He swung the bat a few times and was now ready to hit. He stepped into the batter's box and the pitcher wound up for the pitch. He threw the ball as fast as he could but then he heard "Crack!" as the ball went flying over everyone's head. The Fillmore outfielders wer chasing the ball as fast as they could to try and get it back to the infield before he got the homerun. They knew that he probably wasn't the fastest guy on the team so they might have a shot at him. Jesse crossed home plate, followed by Wade and Lavon. The game was now tied up and Snake was making his way around the bases. When he rounded second base he noticed that they finally got the ball and were going to be trying to make a play on him. However, in the meantime, Gainey stepped in the baseline to try and slow Snake down. Not the brightest of moves. Snake plowed into him sending him flying into the dirt. The crowd was going wild at this point wondering whether or not Snake had it in him to make it to home plate. After he plowed Gainey aside, Snake became re-energized and picked up speed. He rounded third base and was making a beeline for homeplate. The crowd was screaming louder and louder as he was getting close to the winning run. The throw came in from the outfield to try to tag him out at home and Snake saw the ball land in the catcher's mitt. He lowered his shoulder and took out the catcher. As the catcher was falling to the ground, he was unable to hold on to the ball and out of his glove it rolled as Snake crossed the plate.

Game over and done. Score Bluebell 6, Freemont 5. Bluebell had finally won a game over Freemont!

(next chapter will be the celebration)


	18. Zoe's Confrontation

Before I start this chapter, I just wanted to give a big thanks for cadenf and daisesndaffidols for all the reviews and ideas that keep me pushing ahead. Also, correction to the end of last chapter. I called Fillmore, Freemont for some reason or other.

Game over and done. Score Bluebell 6 – Fillmore 5.

The crowd was going crazy! Everyone was yelling and running around and the guys on the field were yelling and congratulating one another for a job well done. After the girls in front of them got off the bleachers, Earl took Luke down and then helped Zoe, Lemon and AB. He told them "Since it's so crowded and loud down here, I'm going to take Luke and Daffy over the Lavon's. I'll give them lunch and try and get them to take naps". Zoe gave him a kiss, "Thanks, Dad. You're the best". Lemon thanked him and gave him a hug. Since Earl wasn't drinking anymore, he really didn't want to head over to the Jammer for the celebration. "Just tell my boy congratulations for me". With that, he and the kids headed out.

Zoe was looking around for Wade who seemed to have gotten lost in the crowd. She finally spotted him and started to make her way over and almost got there when she got pushed out of the way by blondie, who was heading right towards Wade. "Hey baby, I think I deserve a little sugar after that game!", Wade yelled to Zoe. Wade, who was pretty clueless sometimes, never noticed the blonde heading towards him with her friends. After Zoe regained her balance, which wasn't too easy when you're carrying twins, she saw what was happening and sped up a bit. She timed it perfectly and got there the same time as blondie did and went to hug Wade. The blonde just said "Hey, bitch, I saw him first". Wade's eyes got real big knowing that this was definitely not what Zoe wanted to hear. Meanwhile Lemon and Lavon were also there and were watching to see what Zoe would do. Zoe pushed past her and put her arms around Wade, locking her lips to his like never before and pressing her body against his as close as she could get. She then looked at the blonde and said "Yeah, bitch", but I DID him first!", and with that started back in with Wade again. When they finally came up for air, blondie said "OK, fair enough, but lets let him decide who he would rather be with.. me or some little chubby girl". Lemon said to Lavon "Oh, Lord, this is not good". Zoe just looked at her and then Wade stepped between them. "C'mon baby, calm down. I'll deal with this". Wade looked at the blond girl and said "I'm not really sure who you are, BUT, and this is a big but, this is my wife who I love more than life itself and nobody could ever get me going like she does. She's NOT a chubby girl, but pregnant with MY twins. I would suggest that you move on to someone else, because unlike most of the women here, my wife is not a gentle southern woman, but a New Yorker with a vicious temper. You really don't want to mess with her. AND one other thing..you have baby puke on the back of your shirt". With that he turned away and put his arm around Zoe. Zoe was beaming as they walked away. The blond's friend who was watching this scene play out found Lavon and was starting to head over to him. Lemon just stepped in front of her and said "Move along, he's off limits to everyone but me". Lemon just took Lavon's arm and they moved away from the groupies. She looked over her shoulder and said "There's a lot of single guys around here…go and find yourself one of them and leave the married ones alone".

They all got lost in the crowd who was still yelling and screaming, but Wade was trying his best to invite them all over to the Jammer for food and drinks. The women prepared most of the food and he would supply the beverages. Finally the crowd started to disperse and Wade had a chance to talk to Zoe "Wow, doc, you were quite the little spitfire out there", he chuckled. She just looked at him and smiled, "Well, I had to listen to her go on and on during the game about you and it was just getting me madder and madder. There was no way she was getting her hands on you". He laughed and said "OK then. I supposed you were responsible for the baby puketoo?" "Nope" she said. "That was Daffy!". He just couldn't resist her any longer and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was going on for a while until they heard Lavon clearing his throat. "Excuse me, you two, but you DO realize that you're still out in public, right?" The quickly pulled apart guiltily and looked at their friends. "Um, Wade", said Lavon, "you might want to holster that pistol before you get back to the bar". "Told you if you got a boner you'd be in trouble". Wade blushed and Lemon and Zoe just laughed as they headed over to catch up with the rest of the crowd. "I really need to get out of these pants".

They arrived at the Jammer to find things in full swing. Wanda and Shelly had opened the bar earlier and a few of the women that weren't at the game helped to set up the food. This was the biggest crowd that the bar had ever had, so Wade was proud as ever. He said to Zoe "I need to go see if Wanda and Shelly need anything. Hopefully they can handle the crowd, but if it gets too back, I'll jump back there for a while and help them out. He walked off and went behind the bar to talk to them. Lemon walked up to Zoe and gave her a hug. "I was proud of you with that stupid witch. Who did she think she was. At least you kept your temper in check". Zoe just looked at her with a smile "She was just lucky that Wade stepped in. I probably would have decked her if it kept up".

All of a sudden Wade stepped up the microphone on the stage and got everyone's attention. "Thanks everyone for the exciting game today. We won! Hard to believe that after all these years, one game went our way. Of course we couldn't have done it without the help with our new neighbors, and he pointed to Lenny and company. Everyone cheered for them and the looks on their faces was priceless. They were not used to people actually praising them! Wade finished his speech and stepped down so that the party could resume.

Wade spotted the 'bimbos' over in the corner checking things out, so he went up to George and said "Hey buddy, since you're single…could you go and take care of those girls over there?" George took a look and said "Why, what's up with that?" Wade just said to him "well one of them started to come on to me, and you KNOW how Zoe is".

"Oh yeah. Understood" he said. "I'd be happy to oblige and maybe I'll introduce them to the bikers!" he laughed.

George wandered over and introduced himself and Wade went back to find his wife.


	19. Lemon's Lesson

The party was in full swing at the Jammer. Everyone was having a great time after they all had their fill of food. The jukebox was blaring and people were dancing around. Wade was back and forth between his friends and helping out at the bar. When it looked like it was getting too busy for just Shelley and Wanda to handle, he would step in. Finally Lenny told him to go and sit down and he would take care of it. Wade definitely had no problem with that since he wanted to spend more time with his friends, and more particularly, his wife. While he was heading back to the table, Lavon cornered him about something or other and they ended up in a long winded conversation. Lemon noticed this and took advantage of their privacy to talk to Zoe. She was a little nervous and said "Zoe, can I ask you something kind of personal?" Zoe was pretty much an open book so she had no problem with that. "Sure, Lemon. What's up?" "Well, I was wondering how it is that you always manage to keep Wade lusting after you. You two get each other so hot and bothered sometimes and I was just wondering the secret to it all. Not that Lavon is boring, but just pretty routine. I am just so jealous sometimes of the way Wade looks at you". Zoe just laughed and said "There's really no big secret that I know of. One of the things that you need to do is to lose the Southern Woman attitude a bit and get a little slutty for a change. That always throws them off their game. ". Lemon just looked at her petrified "I don't know if I can do that, it's just not my nature", she whined. "Well, if you want excitement, you have to help make it", Zoe told her. "Wanna test the theory?"

Lemon looked at Zoe with terror in her eyes and thought for a minute. "OK, I'm game", she said with a deep breath. Zoe then leaned in even closer and told Lemon "First thing you need to do is to go into the bathroom and remove your panties." Lemon just looked at her with horror. "Then, when you come out, go over to Lavon and put them into his pocket. At this point he'll have no idea what you put in there, but lean in and whisper to him that you just put your panties in his pocket and then walk back over here. Guaranteed he'll drop Wade in a flash and make his way right over to you".

"What if somebody notices?" asked Lemon in a quiet voice. Zoe just looked at her and said "You'll be fine unless you decide to sit here with your legs wide open!" she laughed. Lemon thought for a minute then said "OK, I'll do it. Be right back". Lemon wandered off to the ladies room to work on her plan. Zoe was watching the ladies room door to see if Lemon would really go through with it or if she'd chicken out. After a few minutes, Lemon came out of the bathroom and when she saw Lavon still talking to Wade, she walked over behind him and slipped the panties into his pocket. She grabbed Lavon's head down so she could whisper and said to him "Lavon, I just put my panties in your pocket, so now I'm just going to wander around without them for the rest of the night", and then she walked away back towards the table. Wade was shocked when he saw Lemon whisper to Lavon and then his eyes got bigger than Wade had ever seen them before. "Everything OK, buddy?" asked Wade. "Hell yeah", said Lavon. "Excuse me for a minute, I need to go and see Lemon for a minute". He walked over to the table and said "Lemon, can I talk to you outside?" and then he smiled at her. Lemon just looked at Zoe, and then Zoe winked at her. The two of them headed out the back door of the Jammer and Wade wandered over. All he said to Zoe was "Panties trick?" and Zoe just laughed…."Yup". "I saw you two conspiring over here and figured you were up to something", he said and laughed. "You ready to leave shortly? I still have to get a shower and I'm due in here in the morning to help clean up." "Sure", she said. "We have the night to ourselves since Earl is keeping the kids over at Lavon's until morning. So, whenever you're ready." "OK" he said. "I just have to take care of few things and say goodbye to a few people. This party looks like its going to go on for quite a while so I need to get out while the gettings good". He headed towards the bar to talk to Shelley and Wanda.

Meanwhile, blondie and friends saw Zoe sitting alone waiting for Wade, so they wandered over. Zoe just looked up and said "What do you want?" Blondie said "I just wanted to apologize for being an idiot earlier. If I had known he was sooo taken, I wouldn't have said anything. Please accept my apology." Zoe just looked at her "Sure, OK. As long as you stay away from my husband, I'm cool". The blond then said "Ummm, is George attached? He seems pretty cute. He also introduced us to some of the bikers. Wow, they're something else". Zoe smiled "George is unattached and a great guy. As for the bikers, they are a terrific bunch of guys. If you're looking for anything long term though, they don't stay in one place for very long". The rest of the girls just nodded and said goodnight to Zoe and headed back into the crowd.

Wade finally came back and said "Ready, Momma? I need to get my lady home and we can jump into the shower" he said mischievously. "You got it, Cowboy. Let's see if we can figure out more tips for Lemon!". They headed towards the door. When they got outside, they saw Lemon and Lavon making out furiously alongside the building. Wade just coughed and said "Ummm, you do realize you're in public, right?" They both cracked up and started the walk home.


	20. Zoe's Advice Works

Wade and Zoe were relaxing on the porch swing after such a long, exciting day. 'I still can't believe that we actually won a game", said Wade. "The look on Gainey's face when Snake crossed the plate was priceless." he laughed. After a few moments of silence, he said to Zoe "Hey, since nobody is around do you wanna take a swim in the pond?" She looked at him and said "I assume that you mean 'skinny dip', not swim?" "Well, yeah, I was kinda thinking in that direction", he said grinning at her. Zoe looked at him and said "I guess it would be OK. Lemon and Lavon are already home and we'll hear all the other guys coming home on their bikes." They went to get towels and took off their clothes and wrapped themselves up. "No sense having to look for clothes in the dark", Zoe said. "I love the way you think" said Wade. They headed towards the pond, hoping to fool around in the water, but as they neared the water, they heard splashing around. "Ssssh", said Zoe. "Do you hear that?" Wade listened for a second and said "Seems as if someone else had the same idea as we did." Although he was disappointed, he was curious to find out who it was. "Let's check it out", he said. The inched their way closer and when they were nearing, they hid behind a bush. Thankfully it was dark out and there wasn't much chance of being seen. Zoe just stared with her mouth open. "I don't believe it! I guess she took the slutty comment to heart", she said with a smile. "Whatever are you talking about Zo? Slutty comment?" Wade asked. Lavon and Lemon were clearly not swimming, but had other things in mind judging by the noises coming from the water. Zoe laughed and said "Lemon asked me for advice about how to keep Lavon interested since you always seemed to lust after me. I told her to lose some of the southern charm and act a little slutty!". Wade just laughed quietly and said "Unbelievable. Who would have ever thought that Lemon could even act that way. I guess the underpants episode really got her going. Wanna have some fun?" he asked. Zoe just looked at him and said "Wade, what are you going to do?" He looked at her and said "Let make some noises like we're making love in the bushes and once they hear us they'll take off!. Zoe was trying so hard not to laugh as she nodded. 'OK" he said. "I'll start and you jump in anytime".

Wade and Zoe were pretending that they had a major lovemaking session going on. They kept getting louder until they heard "Lavon! Did you hear that?" "Hear what", he said as he was concentrating on Lemon's neck. "I could swear that I heard the Kinsella's doing it in the woods!". Lavon just looked at heard and suddenly he heard Wade and Zoe obviously in the middle of yet another round of sex. "Dammit", said Lavon. "I don't believe it! Those two never stop! Now they've ruined our good time". Lemon just looked at him and smiled "Nothing is ruined, Lavon. Just consider it getting primed for the real game". They cautiously got out of the water and grabbed their towels, running to the house. Wade and Zoe were rolling over with laughter. "Looks like the pond is ours now", said Zoe. Wade grabbed her hand and they leisurely made their way to the pond for the evening's entertainment.

The next morning, Wade and Zoe went over to Lavon's to pick up Lucas. When they got there, Lavon and Lemon were sitting and having breakfast. They both looked up and glared at the Kinsellas. "Well, gee, what a nice welcome", said Zoe. "Is something wrong"? Wade put his arm around her and pulled her close. Lavon said "Did you have a nice time in the bushes last night?" Wade looked at him and said "Whatever are you talking about Lavon? You sure it wasn't the noises you and Lemon were making in the pond that you heard?" he smiled. Lemon looked mortified. "How did you know about that?" she asked. "Easy", said Zoe. "We were headed to the pond for a late night swim and we heard you guys in there when we started to get close.". Wade jumped in "Then we figured we'd have a little fun with you and we were sitting there making noises so that you would think we were doing it in the bushes. We weren't doing anything other than watching you guys and laughing!". Lemon look at them and scowled "You mean to tell me that you made us get out of the water for nothing? That's just mean". "Maybe", said Zoe, "but it was fun to watch the reaction of the two of you". They all sat there for a moment and then the four of them burst out laughing. "You didn't see anything, did you?" asked Lemon tentatively. Wade just looked at her and winked "Not a thing, Lemon. Not a thing".

Lemon said "Zoe, could I talk to you privately for a minute?" Zoe said "Absolutely, wanna go outside?" and off they went. Lavon looked at Wade "Wonder what that's all about?" Wade just grinned at him and said "Probably getting more pointers from Zoe!". Lavon grinned "I knew Zoe had to have something to do with the way that Lemon has been acting yesterday and today. I'm not complaining at all, mind you. I like this side of Lemon!".

Zoe and Lemon were out sitting in the lawn chairs and Lemon said "Thanks for the help you gave me last night! She was grinning from ear to ear. "It felt so good to be slutty! I must have had it in me all along and didn't know it". Zoe just laughed. "Well, hopefully Lavon appreciated it too". Lemon was so excited "He was just so shocked, but also sooooo excited. It was so great to have that kind of power over him. Now I know how to keep him on his toes. I'm not saying he's going to be a sex machine like Wade, but he'll put up a good race". Zoe was laughing so hard at that comment. "As long as you're enjoying it too, Lemon, it's all worth it". They hugged and headed back up to the house to finish breakfast with the guys.


	21. Lucas the Hero

Zoe and Wade finally took Lucas home to spend the morning together since Wade had to work lunchtime. Wade was letting Lucas ride his motorcycle as he and Zoe sat on the porch swing. Lucas was having a great time hooting and hollering. Zoe just looked at Wade and smiled. He said "What's up Zo? You look like you have something on your mind." Zoe said "I'm not feeling that great today for some reason. I have a headache and I'm really tired". He looked at her and said "Well, why don't you try and lay down while I'm still home? I can play with Lucas and keep him out of trouble". She looked at him sadly "I really hate to do that since we don't get a lot of time with just the three of us together. But, I think I'll take you up on your offer and go lay down for a bit". She got up and went into the house, leaving Wade alone in the swing. When Lucas finally got tired of the bike, they went off for a quick swim in the pond. It was closing in on the time that Wade had to leave, so he dried Lucas off and they went back up to the house. Zoe was still sound asleep and Wade hate to wake her, but unfortunately, he had no choice. "Zoe" he said quietly. She didn't even move, so he nudged her a bit. She finally opened her eyes and he said 'I'm really sorry, but I have to leave for work now'. She smiled at him and said "That's OK, time for me to get up anyway". They kissed goodbye and Wade took off for the Jammer.

When Wade got there the place was packed with the lunch crowd. He went behind the bar to help out and was looking out over the crowd. Some of the bikers were there, Lemon was having lunch with Brick and Daffy since Lavon was in Mobile for the day, the garden club and a bunch of other townspeople. It's seems as if the Rammer Jammer was the town meeting place these days. There were very few people that didn't go there either or a few drinks or for a quick bite. Wade was busy keeping up with the customers at the bar when his phone went off. He picked up the phone and said "Hello", and there was nobody on the other end. Since it was so noisy he had to strain to hear sniffling in the background. "Lucas, is that you?" Again more sniffling and then he asked again "Luke?" then he heard "Daddy, mommy is bleeding", and Wade went into complete panic mode. "Lucas, listen to me..what do you mean?" Wade was getting loud and the customers noticed that something was visibly wrong. "Mommy fell and her head is bleeding" Lucas was trying not to cry but he couldn't' help it since he was only a little boy. "Luke, put mommy on the phone for me please", Wade asked quietly. "Can't", he said "Mommy is sleeping and won't wake up". He then burst out crying, really scaring Wade. He yelled "Lemon!". She saw that he was really upset about something and ran over to him "What's wrong, Wade?" He looked at her in a panic "Luke is on the phone crying and he said that Zoe fell and is bleeding, but she's sleeping and he can't wake her up. He's scared since he's there with her alone". Lemon let out a deep breath "Oh my God, Wade. You need to get over there and see what's going on!". "Please talk to Lucas and keep him talking on my phone. Lemon took the phone "Hi, Lucas. This is Aunt Lemon" and she proceeded talking nonsense to Lucas just to keep him on the phone. "Brick!" yelled Wade. "I need you to come with me to the house NOW". Something is wrong and I may need you to help me with Zoe". He told Lemon to keep Luke on the phone until he got there and that he would let her know what was going on.

Brick and Wade ran out of the Jammer and into Wade's car. Brick got on the phone to Sheriff Bill and told him that if he happened to see Wade's car flying through the streets, to please do not stop him. There was an emergency at his house and he needed to get home.

Wade made it home in record time and skidded to a stop outside the house. He ran in, almost pulling the door off its hinges and stopped dead. There in the middle of the kitchen floor was Zoe lying in a small pool of blood with Lucas sitting next to her holding her hand and talking to Lemon on the phone. Wade picked him up and brought him over to the couch and said "Keep talking to Aunt Lemon. I'll come and get you in a few minutes". Lemon heard him, so she kept on talking. He then ran back to Zoe and knelt down calling her name "Zoe! Wake up!" Brick came over with a cool washcloth and put it on her forehead. Wade kept talking to her and finally she started to stir. She looked up at Wade and said "What's going on? How come you're home?" She tried to get up, but didn't make it very far before Brick grabbed her shoulders and made her lie still. Wade said "You must have fallen and hit your head on the floor. It knocked you out for a little while." "Oh my God! yelled Zoe. Where's Lucas?" She started to go into a panic. Wade just said "He's fine. He's talking to Lemon on the telephone at the moment. He actually called me at work and told me you were sleeping! I can't believe how he did that. I guess it was a good thing to program my phone number into the phone for him." Zoe just looked at Wade "Wow, that's really amazing. My baby saved me!". Brick said "Zoe, you need to lay still while I examine you. It looks like you have a cut on the back of your head which caused all the bleeding. Your vitals all seem pretty normal though. We'll still need to take you into the hospital so that we can check on the babies". Zoe started to panic "What if something happened to them?" Wade took her hand "Zoe, calm down. I'm sure they're just fine. We just need to make sure". Meanwhile, Lucas heard his mother and came running over "Mommy!" and he said down on the floor next to her. Wade took the phone from him and told Lemon what was going on and she said that she would meet them all at the hospital. Brick had called 911 on their way over so the ambulance was just pulling up to the house. "Zoe", said Wade. "Do you have any idea what happened?". She thought for a minute and said "I remember having a headache then I got all lightheaded. That's the last thing that I remember". Brick said "She's probably not eating properly. Don't forget that she's eating for three these days. We're going to have to keep an eye on her". The paramedics made their way into the house and loaded Zoe on the gurney. Wade told her "I'll follow along behind the ambulance. I want to keep Luke with me since he's already been traumatized. We'll meet you there." Brick piped in "I'll ride with Zoe so she has somebody to talk to if she has any questions. Lemon can bring me home later on". Wade loaded Lucas into the car and off they went behind the ambulance.

When they arrived at the hospital, Zoe was instantly put into an examination room. In the meantime, Lemon got to the hospital after calling Lavon to tell him what was going on and took Lucas from Wade so that he could go in to be with Zoe. Brick knew that Wade wanted to be there when he examined Zoe, so he waited until he arrived in the room. "OK guys, we're just going to do a sonogram to see how the babies are holding up". The nurse wheeled the machine over to the bed and Brick said to Zoe "You know the drill, Zoe. Up with the shirt and we'll take a look at the little Kinsella kids". Wade smiled at that and took her hand nervously. Zoe just looked at Wade with a scared look on her face. "Don't worry, babe. I'm sure they're fine", he said to her. He kissed her on the head and then Brick start the sonogram. Almost immediately they heard the heartbeats! "Sounds like the kids are having a party in there" said Brick. "Heartbeats are nice and strong". Zoe and Wade breathed a collective sigh of relief. Brick kept moving around until he had a clear picture of the babies. Wade and Zoe both stared at the picture of their little ones in awe. It looked like the two of them were holding hands! Brick said "they really are starting to get big. Before we go any farther, do you want to know the sex?" They looked at each other and both said "Yes!" at the same time.

"Well folks…..it looks like you're having one of each!" They both were grinning from ear to ear at the news. "I was hoping we'd have at least one little girl", said Zoe. "Me too", said Wade. "I really want to have a little princess running around. I'm glad that Luke will have a brother to hang out with though. That works out perfectly!".

"On that note", said Brick "time to get those stitches for Zoe's head." I figured that you would want to get this taken care of before all else, knowing the two of you". They came to wheel Zoe away to get stitched up and Wade headed out to the waiting to claim his son. When Luke saw him, he ran over and Wade scooped him up. "Mommy OK?" he asked. Meanwhile Lavon was there with Lemon and came right over. "Yes, Mommy is fine thanks to you, little man. We are so proud of what you did today". Lucas just smiled and gave his dad a kiss. Wade looked at Lemon and Lavon "Zoe is doing fine, going to get her head stitched up now. But, the good news is that the babies are fine and getting big. We just found out that we're having one of each!"

Lavon and Lemon were so thrilled about the babies. They also agreed that when Zoe got home they would make an effort to spend more time with her to make sure that she took care of herself better. They were pretty sure that if she didn't, Brick would put her on complete bedrest anyway even though Zoe wouldn't like it.

Brick came out a little while later and said that Zoe was back in her room now, so Wade and Luke went in to see her. Wade put Luke on the bed and leaned over to kiss Zoe. "How you feelin' babe?" he asked. She told them that she was pretty tired and that she just wanted to take a nap, so Wade and Lucas both gave her a kiss and Wade said that he would take Lucas out for Ice cream and that he would be back later on to keep her company. Zoe thought that was a great idea and shut her eyes and was out like a light almost before the guys even got out the door.


	22. It's Time

After Wade took Lucas out for ice-cream, he stopped back at the plantation and dropped him off with Lemon. "I don't know what we would do without you" he said to Lemon. "Think nothing of it", Lemon said. "You would do the same thing if the tables were turned". Lavon came over and said "Just go and take care of big Z for us. You know she won't get any sleep in the hospital if you aren't there with her". Wade just smiled and said "You're probably right". He gave Lucas a kiss and said "See you tomorrow buddy. I'll bring Mommy home". Lucas started clapping "Yay!". Wade left to go back to the hospital.

When he got there, he walked into Zoe's room to find her staring out the window. "Whatcha looking at, doc?" She slowly turned her head and said "Hey babe, thanks for coming back. I wasn't looking forward to staying here alone." "Oh, baby, you know I wouldn't desert you", he said leaning over to give her a kiss. "I'm here to stay for the night and then I'll bring you home whenever they release you". She waggled her eyebrows at him and said "Oh yeah? Wanna get more comfortable then?" He just laughed and said maybe later when the visiting hours are over. Don't want the nurses to go into a panic!". They sat for a while discussing the babies, Lucas and things going on in their lives until it started to get late. Wade took off his shoes and climbed in next to Zoe, wrapping her in his arms. Zoe instantly fell asleep and he wasn't too far behind her. The nurse stopped in and saw the picture in front of her and just let it go. Zoe wasn't in that bad a shape anyway, so they weren't hurting anything. She slowly backed out of the room and shut the door.

When Brick got there in the morning, he wasn't one bit surprised to find them in the bed together. He just shook his head and smiled. "Hey you two, rise and shine", he said. Wade woke first and sat up "Sorry, Brick. I meant to be up and out of the bed before you got here", he said sheepishly. "No problem", said Brick. "I was kind of expecting that anyway knowing how the two of you are". Wade just grinned. Zoe woke up and saw Brick there. "Can I go home now?" she asked. He just laughed. "Aren't you in a hurry this morning", he said. She just grinned "I just want to get home and relax. I can't relax here for some reason". Brick walked over and checked her vitals, looked at her head wound and checked her vision to make sure she wasn't seeing double or anything. When he was finished, he filled out the necessary papers to free Zoe and gave them to her. "I want you to go home and stop overdoing it. You seem to forget that you have two babies, not just one. It's going to take a lot out of you. I'll expect to see you come in in about a week so I can take the stitches out and to check the progress of the twins. You really don't have a lot of time left to go since twins tend to show up a little earlier than planned. But now I need to take off and start my rounds. So whenever you're ready, you can head out of here". Wade and Zoe just smiled at each other and Wade said "I brought you a change of clothes, so whenever you're ready, just go and change and we'll head over to Lavon's and pick up Luke. He's anxious to see you". She practically ran into the bathroom to change and was out in a flash. "OK, let's hit the road!" she said. They walked out hand in hand and once they were settled in the car, headed off to Lavon's.

As soon as Zoe got out of the car she heard "Mommy!" and saw Lucas running towards her. She had a huge smile on her face as her son charged at her. "Slow down, buddy. You're gonna hurt yourself", she said. Lucas just ran into her arms and gave her a big hug. "I'm glad you're better", he said, giving Zoe a kiss. "Yeah, me too, buddy", said Wade. "You ready to head home now? Mommy needs to relax". "OK said Lucas and ran towards the car". Zoe just hugged Lemon "thanks so much for all you do for us. Whenever you need anything, just let us know. We owe you big time!". Lavon gave Zoe a big hug and off they went.

Weeks went by and Zoe was getting restless. The heat was bothering her, nothing fit, plus she wasn't sleeping that great with all the commotion going on in her belly. Wade did the best that he could to keep her comfortable, but it seemed like nothing was working these days. "Zo, is there anything you need? I know you're very irritable these days, and I wish I could make it better for you." She just looked at him and said "I know you're doing all you possibly can. I just try and look at the end results and it seems to help. Even Lucas has been behaving lately. I know you need to go in to work today, so I'll just hang at home and your father is coming over a little later. I haven't seen him in a while, so it will be great visiting". Wade seemed OK with that and kissed her goodbye. He walked over to Lucas and gave him a kiss and said "You be a good boy for Mommy today. Poppy is coming over to visit later on". Lucas was all excited because he knew he would have fun when Poppy came over! "OK Daddy. See you later".

Shortly after Wade left, Zoe heard knocking at the door. She saw that it was Earl and send Lucas to let him in. "Hi Poppy!" said Lucas happily. He just loved his grandpa. "Hey little buddy. How you doing today?" Lucas just took his hand and brought him over to Zoe. "Poppy's here", said Luke. Earl went over and gave Zoe a hug. "How you doing, missy? You look out of sorts today". She smiled at him and said "Truthfully Earl, I don't think I have much longer to wait until I get to meet your new grandbabies". Earl just laughed and said to Lucas "Hear that? Pretty soon your brother and sister will be here!" He took Lucas out on the porch to play cars while Zoe sat on the couch reading. She was engrossed in her book when all of a sudden she felt a sharp pain. She just attributed it to yet another round of kicks and switched positions to get more comfortable. After a few more minutes she had another sharp pain. At this point she started to get nervous. Here she was with Earl and Lucas, no car since Earl walked over, Wade was at work and Lemon, Lavon and Daffy were at Daffy's doctor appointment.

"Earl, could you come here?" she yelled. Earl came in and said "What's wrong, Zoe?" She looked at him with a smile and said "I think it's time!". Earl went into a panic. "What are we going to do? We don't even have a car here! Zoe looked at him for a minute, knowing that they were in a bind. "Earl, quickly go over and see if Lenny or any of the guys are there. They'll be able to get me to the hospital, or at least to Wade". Earl took off across the pond and before long Zoe heard a motorcycle pulling up. Snake came running and said "Zoe, is it really time?" She just looked at him and let out a scream of agony. "Oh man", said Snake. "I guess that answers my question". Earl came back in and said to her "Snake is going to get you there. I'll wait here with Lucas and I'll call Wade in the meantime so he can be ready for you. Where's your bag so I can get it for you?" She told Earl where it was and he quickly came back with the bag. She hurried over to Lucas and said "OK honey, I need to go to the hospital now so we can meet your brother and sister. Poppy or Daddy will bring you over later on. You be a good boy for me, OK?" "OK Mommy, I will".

Snake came over and took her arm "OK, Zoe, let get this show on the road" and guided her out the door. When Zoe got on the porch she said "You have GOT to be kidding me". There in front of her was Snake's motorcycle with a sidecar. "Sorry, Zoe, but it's the best I could do. There's no car here so looks like this is your chariot!". "Won't I look quite the sight riding to the hospital in this." She had to laugh at the picture it presented. Snake came over and helped her with her helmet and then helped her into the sidecar. He said to Earl "Call Wade and tell him that I'm on my way, but that I'm not going to stop and switch vehicles. He can follow us to the hospital. It will be too hard of Zoe to get in and out too many times."

Snake got Zoe all situated as comfortable a one can get in a sidecar. He hooked her bag up to the back of the bike and off they went.

Wade was at the bar when he phone rang. He answered it only to find Earl in a panic "Wade, Zoe is on her way to the hospital! She went into labor a little while ago". Wade's eyes got real big "Oh my God, why today! I've been home all week and the minute I leave she goes into labor!". "Son, calm down. She's fine". Wade said "Dad, how's she getting to the hospital? There's nobody there to help her out?" Earl just chuckled. "Just wait until you see her. Snake came over and he has Zoe in a side car!. He said he's not going to bother stopping, so be ready for them and you can follow to the hospital." Wade just looked stunned. "This I have GOT to see", he said to himself. He yelled to Wanda to take over because Zoe was on her way to the hospital and ran out the door to wait for them to arrive. Meanwhile half the town heard and went outside to wait for Zoe to arrive. Wade had the car running and ready to go, knowing the Snake had no intention of stopping there. He heard the motorcycle coming down the road and then had to laugh at the sight coming over the hill. Here comes the Snake driving the motorcycle with determination as carefully but as fast as he could get away with and there sat Zoe in the sidecar waving to everyine, hair flying all over the place beneath the helmet, with pillows wedged all around her (courtesy of Snake) to keep her more comfortable. As they approached them Wade was thinking "I really hope someone gets this on video". He jumped into the car and as Snake and Zoe sped by he pulled out right behind them on the way to the hospital.


	23. The Kids Arrive

Thankfully they didn't have much farther to go before they got to the hospital. When they pulled up, Wade quickly got out of the car and ran over to Snake and Zoe. He said "You were quite a picture there, with your hair flying all over the place. I only hope that somebody took a video of you". Zoe just glared at him and said "Just help me out of here. Snake has me wedged in so tightly ythat it's hard to get out." Snake apologized and said "I was just worried that you'd bounce out or something. I just wanted to make sure that you were as comfortable as you were going to get". When Zoe finally made it out of the sidecar she went over and gave Snake a kiss. "Thank you so much for being there for me. I don't know what I would have done without you." Snake was all embarrassed since he wasn't used to being praised. Wade went and shook his hand and said "Thanks, man. I owe you big time for this one". With that they quickly went into the hospital with Zoe yelling all the way.

Zoe was all checked in and in her room as comfortable as she was going to be. "You sure are yelling a lot for such a little person", Wade said. Zoe just glared at him "Wade Kinsella, if you EVER think about whipping that thing out again, I'm going to cut it off!". She was not a happy camper at this point and the pain was much more than she remembered it to be. "Ouch", said Wade. "You know you don't really mean that, doc". She just said "Hell I don't. I just want to get this over and done with!" Brick chose that moment to come into the room. "I see Zoe is having a good time", he laughed. Zoe glared at him also. "Brick, get these babies out of me instead of standing there making wise remarks!", she said. Wade and Brick just looked at each other and shook their heads. "OK, Zoe", I'm going to check to see how far along you are", Brick said. Wade took Zoe's hand while Brick was checking how many centimeters Zoe was dilated. Surprisingly she let him hold her hand. Brick stood up and said "I think we're about ready! You're 9.5 centimeters to it could be anytime now. Let me know if you need any drugs or if you want to try and do this on your own. Since you had a c-section last time, I really wish you would reconsider. It's tough with twins". Zoe just looked at Wade and said "I really wanted to do this on my own, but I honestly don't think I have it in me. Would you be disappointed if I didn't" she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Babe, I just want whatever is safest for you and the kids. I think what Brick is saying makes perfect sense".

Zoe looked at Brick and said "OK, we'll do it your way". Brick was very happy to hear that. "Good, because I already have the team here to do the c-section. I was kind of hoping you would go that route". Wade just laughed "pretty good thinking on your part, Brick". Brick went to get everyone assembled and left Wade and Zoe in the room. Wade looked at her and said "I love you, Zoe. Just think, when you wake up, you'll have two new kids!". Zoe winced in pain and said "I love you too, Cowboy. I'm sorry that I can't do this on my own, but it's just too much pain". "As long as everyone is safe, I'm happy however you choose to do this". He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

Brick and crew came in and got Zoe prepared for the operating room. One of the nurses handed Wade a gown and hat and told him that he had to put them on before he entered the operating room. Wade thanked her and headed into the waiting room before he donned his gown. He was surprised that there were so many people there waiting. Lavon made it back from Mobile after Lemon called him. Lemon was at home with the kids, but in constant touch with Lavon. Snake was still there, as was Jesse and AB, Earl, Lenny and George. He told them all the change of plans that Zoe was having the c-section so it probably wouldn't be as long as they originally thought. He said that they were taking here into the operating room and he had to go so that he didn't miss anything. "I promised Zoe that I would be there, so I damn well better be!" he laughed nervously. Earl came up to him and said "Son, they'll all be fine. You know Brick would never let anything happen to them". He hugged Wade and sent him on his way.

After what seemed like no time at all, the surgery was started and Wade was standing out of the way watching to see his kids enter the world. Brick was already taking out the first baby! Wade was standing on his toes trying to get a better look. Brick looked up at him and said "You have another son". Wade beamed and was about ready to cry. As he was getting his bearings back Brick looked at him and said "Here comes your little girl". They're both perfect as can be. The nurses will clean them up and bring them over to you". Wade was so excited! He just about ran into the waiting room to tell everyone that the kids were here and they were perfectly happy. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a nurse came out and said "Mr. Kinsella, Dr. Breeland needs you in the operating room now". Wade got a look of panic on his face and Lavon ran up to him. "I'm sure it's fine, man. Don't lose control. Just get in there and see what's going on!". Wade snapped out of it and ran back into the operating room. As he entered the room, he saw Brick standing there with one of the babies. He walked slowly over to Brick and looked right in his eyes. "What happened?" he asked with a shaky voice. Brick broke out into a huge smile "We forgot this one in there! She was hidden behind the other two and we never even knew she was there. You have yet another daughter! You left the room before we discovered her" Wade just about passed out. "Oh my God" he said. "No wonder Zoe was in such pain all the time". "Triplets! I can't friggin believe it!" Brick shook his hand and said "Well, you can ago and break the news to the others and then wait for Zoe to wake up so you can break the news to her!" he laughed.

Wade walked back to the waiting room and when he got there, everyone stood up and came over by him. "What happened, son" asked Earl as he touched Wade's arm. Wade looked around at everyone and then burst out "It was triplets! There was another baby girl hidden behind the other two! Wade felt like he face was going to burst because he was smiling so big. Everyone was in shock at first, then came over and congratulated him! Lavon said "doesn't surprise me one bit" and shook his head. Everyone laughed. "Go on back in and wait for Zoe", said Lavon. "We'll be here for a while yet".

Wade ran off back into the recovery room where they had taken Zoe off to. He sat and waited, holding her hand in the meantime. Finally after quite some time, Zoe started to stir. He leaned over and kissed her, hoping it would wake her up faster. She finally opened her eyes and looked at him "How are the babies", she asked. "Well", he said. Our son was born first and our daughter was right behind. They're both fine". She breathed a sigh of relief. "BUT", he said… She looked alarm and he felt bad for scaring her. "But what", she asked. Wade looked at her and took both hands "There was a third baby hidden behind the other two. She never showed up in any of the sonograms so nobody knew she was there". Zoe just stared at him with huge eyes "You're kidding, right?". "Afraid not, sweetheart. We have triplets instead of twins. One boy and two girls". "Holy crap", said Zoe. The nurse chose that moment to come over to her to see how she was doing. Zoe proclaimed herself well enough to go back to her room, and since she was a doctor, the nurse did just that (of course Brick told them that they were to do whatever Zoe asked since she was so stubborn and they wouldn't win anyway).

When she was all settled and comfortable in the bed, the nurse asked if she would like to see the kids. Zoe and Wade both yelled "Yes!" at the same time and the nurse left to go and get them. They looked at each other lovingly and Wade said "I am so proud of you, doc. To give me three more kids is totally amazing to me. I love you so much". Zoe looked at him and smiled. "You realize that we now have four kids! Are we insane?" she laughed.

Two nurses entered the room with the bassinets holding the three little Kinsellas. They handed them their son. Zoe held him in her arms while the second nurse handed her the first daughter. Then came the littlest one of all, daughter number two. The nurse handed her to Wade since Zoe's arms were full and when then saw that they were all set, they left and told them that they would be back in a while.

They just took a minute to look at them. "Guess we'll deal with this one at a time", said Zoe. Wade agreed, still pretty much at a loss for words. They started with their son. Once again, the son looked exactly like his father. Fuzzy blond hair and hazel eyes. "Great, another heartbreaker", said Zoe. They both laughed. She looked at him and said "I know we had a name already picked out for him, but would it be OK with you if we changed the name to Jackson Lavon instead?" Wade just looked at her and said "I don't mind at all since I like the name, but where on earth did you come up with that one?" She just said "Well, I didn't want to name him Snake, so I went with Jackson, which is his real name". Wade said "I think that's a great idea. After all, he is the one that got you here safely! I'm sure he'll be thrilled". Next came baby #2. She had brown silky hair and brown eyes. "Looks like she's a little Zoe", said Wade. "Well, thankfully at least one of my kids will look like me!", she said. "Her name is Sophia Lemon", said Zoe. Wade just nodded. "Now, we have to come up with one for the surprise baby", Zoe said. The little girl was a perfect combination of both of them. Big brown eyes and blond hair. "How about Mackenzie", asked Wade. "I can call her Mack and you can call her Kenzie". Zoe laughed and said "that's a good name, I like it. Now we need a middle name". They both thought for a while and decided on Mackenzie Wilkes. "OK, now that we have the names all picked out, do you want to go and get the others before I get too tired to do this? I really want them all to see the babies". "Sure", said Wade. "Be happy to".

After a few minutes, in came Wade with the others. They gathered around as Wade lifted each child. First off, our new son Jackson Lavon. Lavon grinned from ear to ear and Snake just stood there in total shock. "Snake, what's up", asked George. Zoe just grinned and said "His real name is Jackson. I didn't want to name our son Snake, so Jackson it is. This is our way of thanking him for getting me here safe and sound". Snake just grinned from ear to ear.

"Next is our daughter Sophia Lemon. " Wade handed her over to his father. "Here's your first granddaughter, Dad". Earl was thrilled!

"And last but definitely not least is our surprise baby, Mackenzie Wilkes".

Everyone stayed to hold the babies and give their congratulations to the ever-growing family. Brick finally came in and chased everyone out and said "Zoe needs her rest, so I need to boot you all out of here for now." They all laughed and said they'd stop by the next day to see how things were going.

Finally Wade and Zoe were alone, the kids having been brought back to the nursery. "Wade, how are we going to handle 4 kids?" she asked. "Well, we have lots of help and we'll just play it by ear", he said. "We have plenty of love to go around, so that won't be an issue. We have plenty of room in the house. We'll be absolutely fine", he said.

Zoe said "Lean down here and give me a kiss before I fall asleep", she said. Wade said to Zoe "Get some sleep now babe". I'll go home and spend some time with Luke and I'll bring him in tomorrow".

With one more kiss, Wade left, anxious to see Luke and tell him all about his new siblings.


End file.
